Photoelectron spectroscopy of (CO2)nH2O− (2⩽n⩽8) clusters

Structural evolution of the [(CO2)n(H2O)]- cluster anions: quantifying the effect of hydration on the excess charge accommodation motif

The [(CO2)n(H2O)]- cluster anions are studied using infrared photodissociation (IPD) spectroscopy in the 2800-3800 cm(-1) range. The observed IPD spectra display a drastic change in the vibrational band features at n = 4, indicating a sharp discontinuity in the structural evolution of the monohydrated cluster anions. The n = 2 and 3 spectra are composed of a series of sharp bands around 3600 cm(-1), which are assignable to the stretching vibrations of H2O bound to C2O4- in a double ionic hydrogen-bonding (DIHB) configuration, as was previously discussed (J. Chem. Phys. 2005, 122, 094303). In the n > or = 4 spectrum, a pair of intense bands additionally appears at approximately 3300 cm(-1). With the aid of ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-31+G* level, the 3300 cm(-1) bands are assigned to the bending overtone and the hydrogen-bonded OH vibration of H2O bound to CO2- via a single O-H...O linkage. Thus, the structures of [(CO2)n(H2O)]- evolve with cluster size such that DIHB to C2O4- is favored in the smaller clusters with n = 2 and 3 whereas CO2- is preferentially stabilized via the formation of a single ionic hydrogen-bonding (SIHB) configuration in the larger clusters with n > or = 4.

Photoelectron Imaging of Hydrated Carbon Dioxide Cluster Anions

The effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous solvation on the electronic structure and photodetachment dynamics of hydrated carbon dioxide cluster anions are investigated using negative-ion photoelectron imaging spectroscopy. The experiments are conducted on mass-selected [(CO(2))(n)()(H(2)O)(m)()](-) cluster anions with n and m ranging up to 12 and 6, respectively, for selected clusters. Homogeneous solvation in (CO(2))(n)()(-) has minimal effect on the photoelectron angular distributions, despite dimer-to-monomer anion core switching. Heterogeneous hydration, on the other hand, is found to have the marked effect of decreasing the photodetachment anisotropy. For example, in the [CO(2)(H(2)O)(m)()](-) cluster anion series, the photoelectron anisotropy parameter falls to essentially zero with as few as 5-6 water molecules. The analysis of the data, supported by theoretical modeling, reveals that in the ground electronic state of the hydrated clusters the excess electron is localized on CO(2), corresponding to a (CO(2))(n)()(-).(H(2)O)(m)() configuration for all cluster anions studied. The diminishing anisotropy in the photoelectron images of hydrated cluster anions is proposed to be attributable to photoinduced charge transfer to solvent, creating transient (CO(2))(n)().(H(2)O)(m)()(-) states that subsequently decay via autodetachment.

Structures of [(CO2)n(H2O)m]− (n=1–4, m=1,2) cluster anions. I. Infrared photodissociation spectroscopy

The infrared photodissociation spectra of [(CO(2))(n)(H(2)O)(m)](-) (n=1-4, m=1, 2) are measured in the 3000-3800 cm(-1) range. The [(CO(2))(n)(H(2)O)(1)](-) spectra are characterized by a sharp band around 3570 cm(-1) except for n=1; [(CO(2))(1)(H(2)O)(1)](-) does not photodissociate in the spectral range studied. The [(CO(2))(n)(H(2)O)(2)](-) (n=1, 2) species have similar spectral features with a broadband at approximately 3340 cm(-1). A drastic change in the spectral features is observed for [(CO(2))(3)(H(2)O)(2)](-), where sharp bands appear at 3224, 3321, 3364, 3438, and 3572 cm(-1). Ab initio calculations are performed at the MP2/6-311++G(**) level to provide structural information such as optimized structures, stabilization energies, and vibrational frequencies of the [(CO(2))(n)(H(2)O)(m)](-) species. Comparison between the experimental and theoretical results reveals rather size- and composition-specific hydration manner in [(CO(2))(n)(H(2)O)(m)](-): (1) the incorporated H(2)O is bonded to either CO(2) (-) or C(2)O(4) (-) through two equivalent OH...O hydrogen bonds to form a ring structure in [(CO(2))(n)(H(2)O)(1)](-); (2) two H(2)O molecules are independently bound to the O atoms of CO(2) (-) in [(CO(2))(n)(H(2)O)(2)](-) (n=1, 2); (3) a cyclic structure composed of CO(2) (-) and two H(2)O molecules is formed in [(CO(2))(3)(H(2)O)(2)](-).

Effects of solvation and core switching on the photoelectron angular distributions from (CO2)n− and (CO2)n−⋅H2O

Photoelectron images are recorded in the photodetachment of two series of cluster anions, (CO(2))(n)(-), n=4-9 and (CO(2))(n)(-).H(2)O, n=2-7, with linearly polarized 400 nm light. The energetics of the observed photodetachment bands compare well with previous studies, showing evidence for switching between two anionic core structures: The CO(2)(-) monomer and covalent (CO(2))(2)(-) dimer anions. The systematic study of photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) sheds light on the electronic structure of the different core anions and indicates that solvation by several CO(2) molecules and/or one water molecule has only moderate effect on the excess-electron orbitals. The observed PAD character is reconciled with the symmetry properties of the parent molecular orbitals. The most intriguing result concerns the PADs showing remarkable similarities between the monomer and dimer anion cluster-core types. This observation is explained by treating the highest-occupied molecular orbital of the covalent dimer anion as a linear combination of two spatially separated monomeric orbitals.