Imaging the dynamics of ion-molecule reactions

A range of ion-molecule reactions have been studied in the last years using the crossed-beam ion imaging technique, from charge transfer and proton transfer to nucleophilic substitution and elimination. This review presents the detailed insights that have been gained with respect to the dynamics of both cation-molecule and anion-molecule reactions studied with this method. In particular, we show the recent progress that has been achieved to understand the atomistic energetics and dynamics of ion-molecule reactions, such as the effects of vibrational quantum states, the formation of carbon-carbon bonds, and the competition between nucleophilic substitution and elimination.