Clarifying the Identity of the m/z 36 Ion in Water Microdroplet Mass Spectra
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Updated: May 23, 2025

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Published on: August 9, 2024
Xiaowei Song1, Lecheng Lyu1, Jinheng Xu1
1Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States.
Abstract:
Several lines of evidence are presented that when ultrapure water is sprayed into air and the resulting water microdroplets are mass analyzed a peak at m/z 36 appears, which is identified as the water dimer cation. The water dimer cation, (H2O)2+•, and the hydrated ammonium cation, NH4+·H2O, have essentially indistinguishable mass differences in a low-resolution mass spectrum. By comparing the behavior of (H2O)2+• and NH4+·H2O with temperature and salt concentration, we can rule out the formation of NH4+·H2O in the spraying of ultrapure water into laboratory air.
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