Photoionization of small sodium-doped acetic acid clusters

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Chemical Physics
• Molecular Spectroscopy

Background:

• Acetic acid clusters are fundamental systems for studying hydrogen bonding and solvation.
• Understanding cluster fragmentation is crucial for interpreting mass spectrometry data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sodium uptake and "soft" photoionization of acetic acid clusters.
• To elucidate the fragmentation mechanisms of these clusters.
• To determine the influence of cluster size on fragmentation pathways.

Main Methods:

• Generation of acetic acid clusters via supersonic expansion.
• Sodium doping using a pick-up chamber.
• Photoionization with ultraviolet (UV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light.
• Analysis using density functional theory (DFT) and statistical adiabatic channel calculations.

Main Results:

• Experimental evidence for sodium uptake in acetic acid clusters.
• Observation of fragmentation in both neutral and ionic states post-photoionization.
• Demonstration that fragmentation pathways are highly dependent on acetic acid cluster size.

Conclusions:

• The study provides insights into the dynamics of photoionized acetic acid clusters.
• Fragmentation mechanisms are size-specific, highlighting the importance of cluster structure.
• Combined experimental and computational approaches are effective for studying molecular clusters.