Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer02:48

Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer

45.3K
Ions are atoms or molecules bearing an electrical charge. A cation (a positive ion) forms when a neutral atom loses one or more electrons from its valence shell, and an anion (a negative ion) forms when a neutral atom gains one or more electrons in its valence shell. Compounds composed of ions are called ionic compounds (or salts), and their constituent ions are held together by ionic bonds: electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged cations and anions. 
45.3K
Intermolecular Forces03:13

Intermolecular Forces

65.0K
Atoms and molecules interact through bonds (or forces): intramolecular and intermolecular. The forces are electrostatic as they arise from interactions (attractive or repulsive) between charged species (permanent, partial, or temporary charges) and exist with varying strengths between ions, polar, nonpolar, and neutral molecules. The different types of intermolecular forces are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion; among these, dipole–dipole, hydrogen...
65.0K
Formation of Complex Ions03:45

Formation of Complex Ions

24.7K
A type of Lewis acid-base chemistry involves the formation of a complex ion (or a coordination complex) comprising a central atom, typically a transition metal cation, surrounded by ions or molecules called ligands. These ligands can be neutral molecules like H2O or NH3, or ions such as CN− or OH−. Often, the ligands act as Lewis bases, donating a pair of electrons to the central atom. These types of Lewis acid-base reactions are examples of a broad subdiscipline called coordination...
24.7K
Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration02:42

Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration

16.0K
Water and other polar molecules are attracted to ions. The electrostatic attraction between an ion and a molecule with a dipole is called an ion-dipole attraction. These attractions play an important role in the dissolution of ionic compounds in water.
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the strong electrostatic forces between them. This process...
16.0K
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

15.9K
Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
15.9K
Molecular Orbital Theory II03:51

Molecular Orbital Theory II

22.8K
Molecular Orbital Energy Diagrams
22.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

On the D<sub>2</sub>/H<sub>2</sub> adsorption selectivity of sodium decorated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. I. Accurate modeling approaches and low pressure selectivity.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2026
Same author

The Intricate Nonadiabatic Dynamics of NO<sup>+</sup> and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup> Mutual Neutralization.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Collision Integrals for Transport in Plasmas: The Phenomenological Approach.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Proton-driven many-body interactions and structural organization in He <sub><i>n</i></sub> H<sup>+</sup> clusters.

RSC advances·2026
Same author

The destruction of <sup>3</sup>HeT<sup>+</sup> in collisions with tritium: a dynamical study.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2026
Same author

Energy landscapes of the water hexamer and octamer for the MB-pol and TIP4P/2005 potentials.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 30, 2025

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
10:37

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters

Published on: January 9, 2014

9.5K

Ca+ Ions Solvated in Helium Clusters.

Massimiliano Bartolomei1, Paul Martini2, Ricardo Pérez de Tudela3

  • 1Instituto de Física Fundamental (IFF-CSIC), Serrano 123, 28006 Madrid, Spain.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 2, 2021
PubMed
Summary

We studied calcium ions (Ca+) within helium droplets (HeNCa+), finding that 17 helium atoms form the most stable cluster. Adding more atoms initially decreases stability before a new shell begins to form.

Keywords:
classical/quantum monte carlo calculationshelium nanodropletshelium-alkaline earth ion interactionsmass spectrometrymolecular clusterssolvation

More Related Videos

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
06:44

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding

Published on: March 24, 2018

69.3K
Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F&#8722;
06:53

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F−

Published on: July 27, 2018

8.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 30, 2025

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
10:37

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters

Published on: January 9, 2014

9.5K
From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
06:44

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding

Published on: March 24, 2018

69.3K
Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F&#8722;
06:53

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F−

Published on: July 27, 2018

8.9K

Area of Science:

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics
  • Quantum Chemistry
  • Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

  • Helium droplets are unique quantum fluids used to study doped atoms and ions.
  • Understanding the solvation of ions in helium provides insights into quantum effects and cluster stability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structure and stability of calcium ions (Ca+) solvated in helium nanodroplets (HeNCa+).
  • To determine the energetic properties and preferred configurations of HeNCa+ clusters.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental: Electron-impact ionization of Ca-doped helium nanodroplets and high-resolution mass spectrometry.
  • Theoretical: Path integral Monte Carlo, diffusion Monte Carlo, and basin-hopping methods.
  • Potential energy functions derived from ab initio calculations and an improved Lennard-Jones formula.

Main Results:

  • Ion yields of HeNCa+ decrease with increasing helium atom number (N), with a significant drop between N=17 and N=25.
  • Computed evaporation energies correlate with experimental observations.
  • Analysis indicates that clusters with 17 helium atoms exhibit minimal energy per atom, suggesting high stability.
  • A maximum of 25 helium atoms can occupy the first solvation shell around Ca+.

Conclusions:

  • The study reveals a stable configuration for Ca+ in helium droplets at N=17 atoms.
  • Evaporation energies and radial densities suggest liquid-like structures in HeNCa+ clusters.
  • The findings contribute to understanding ion-atom interactions and solvation in quantum systems.