Coordination of Ti cation embedded in argon clusters

Production of cluster complexes by cluster–cluster collisions—incorporation of a size-selected cobalt dimer ion into a neutral argon cluster

Size-selected Co₂⁺ is incorporated into Ar_N by using a merging-beam technique in a pulsed mode. In this process, the electrostatic and the hard-sphere interactions are dominant below and above the relative velocity of 200 m s⁻¹, respectively.

Review: gas-phase ion chemistry of the noble gases: recent advances and future perspectives

This review article surveys recent experimental and theoretical advances in the gas-phase ion chemistry of the noble gases. Covered issues include the interaction of the noble gases with metal and non-metal cations, the conceivable existence of covalent noble-gas anions, the occurrence of ion-molecule reactions involving singly-charged xenon cations, and the occurrence of bond-forming reactions involving doubly-charged cations. Research themes are also highlighted, that are expected to attract further interest in the future.

Theoretical Investigation of Square-Planar MXe42+ (M = Cu, Ag, Au) Cations

The structures, stabilities, and bonding mechanism of the square-planar doubly charged MXe42+ (M = Cu, Ag, Au) cations have been investigated at the UB3LYP and UMP2 theoretical levels. At the best theoretical estimate, the M–Xe bond lengths are calculated to be 266.2, 273.6, and 273.8 pm, and the corresponding binding energies with respect to M2+ and four xenon atoms are 771.49, 820.57, and 908.47 kJ mol–1, respectively, along the series Cu – Ag – Au. Owing to an unusually high relativistic effect, gold evidently tends to be strongly bonded to the noble gas atoms in comparison with copper and silver. The electrostatic interactions play an important role in divalent noble-gas–noble-metal bonding. Apart from CuXe42+, the square-planar MXe42+ cations are stable enough to be prepared in experiments.

Hydrated metal ions in the gas phase

Studying metal ion solvation, especially hydration, in the gas phase has developed into a field that is dominated by a tight interaction between experiment and theory. Since the studied species carry charge, mass spectrometry is an indispensable tool in all experiments. Whereas gas-phase coordination chemistry and reactions of bare metal ions are reasonably well understood, systems containing a larger number of solvent molecules are still difficult to understand. This review focuses on the rich chemistry of hydrated metal ions in the gas phase, covering coordination chemistry, charge separation in multiply charged systems, as well as intracluster and ion-molecule reactions. Key ideas of metal ion solvation in the gas phase are illustrated with rare-gas solvated metal ions.