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Solvation of Large Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Helium: Cationic and Anionic Hexabenzocoronene. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27196764. [PMID: 36235296 PMCID: PMC9573446 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27196764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The adsorption of helium on charged hexabenzocoronene (Hbc, C42H18), a planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecule of D6h symmetry, was investigated by a combination of high-resolution mass spectrometry and classical and quantum computational methods. The ion abundance of HenHbc+ complexes versus size n features prominent local anomalies at n = 14, 38, 68, 82, and a weak one at 26, indicating that for these “magic” sizes, the helium evaporation energies are relatively large. Surprisingly, the mass spectra of anionic HenHbc− complexes feature a different set of anomalies, namely at n = 14, 26, 60, and 62, suggesting that the preferred arrangement of the adsorbate atoms depends on the charge of the substrate. The results of our quantum calculations show that the adsorbate layer grows by successive filling of concentric rings that surround the central benzene ring, which is occupied by one helium atom each on either side of the substrate. The helium atoms are fairly localized in filled rings and they approximately preserve the D6h symmetry of the substrate, but helium atoms in partially filled rings are rather delocalized. The first three rings contain six atoms each; they account for magic numbers at n = 14, 26, and 38. The size of the first ring shrinks as atoms are filled into the second ring, and the position of atoms in the second ring changes from hollow sites to bridge sites as atoms are filled into the third ring. Beyond n = 38, however, the arrangement of helium atoms in the first three rings remains essentially frozen. Presumably, another ring is filled at n = 68 for cations and n = 62 for anions. The calculated structures and energies do not account for the difference between charge states, although they agree with the measurements for the cations and show that the first solvation shell of Hbc± is complete at n = 68. Beyond that size, the adsorbate layer becomes three-dimensional, and the circular arrangement of helium changes to hexagonal.
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Bergmeister S, Kollotzek S, Calvo F, Gruber E, Zappa F, Scheier P, Echt O. Adsorption of Helium and Hydrogen on Triphenylene and 1,3,5-Triphenylbenzene. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27154937. [PMID: 35956887 PMCID: PMC9370105 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27154937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The adsorption of helium or hydrogen on cationic triphenylene (TPL, C18H12), a planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecule, and of helium on cationic 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene (TPB, C24H18), a propeller-shaped PAH, is studied by a combination of high-resolution mass spectrometry and classical and quantum computational methods. Mass spectra indicate that HenTPL+ complexes are particularly stable if n = 2 or 6, in good agreement with the quantum calculations that show that for these sizes, the helium atoms are strongly localized on either side of the central carbon ring for n = 2 and on either side of the three outer rings for n = 6. Theory suggests that He14TPL+ is also particularly stable, with the helium atoms strongly localized on either side of the central and outer rings plus the vacancies between the outer rings. For HenTPB+, the mass spectra hint at enhanced stability for n = 2, 4 and, possibly, 11. Here, the agreement with theory is less satisfactory, probably because TPB+ is a highly fluxional molecule. In the global energy minimum, the phenyl groups are rotated in the same direction, but when the zero-point harmonic correction is included, a structure with one phenyl group being rotated opposite to the other two becomes lower in energy. The energy barrier between the two isomers is very small, and TPB+ could be in a mixture of symmetric and antisymmetric states, or possibly even vibrationally delocalized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Bergmeister
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (S.B.); (S.K.); (E.G.); (F.Z.); (P.S.)
| | - Siegfried Kollotzek
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (S.B.); (S.K.); (E.G.); (F.Z.); (P.S.)
| | - Florent Calvo
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, F-38000 Grenoble, France
- Correspondence: (F.C.); (O.E.)
| | - Elisabeth Gruber
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (S.B.); (S.K.); (E.G.); (F.Z.); (P.S.)
| | - Fabio Zappa
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (S.B.); (S.K.); (E.G.); (F.Z.); (P.S.)
| | - Paul Scheier
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (S.B.); (S.K.); (E.G.); (F.Z.); (P.S.)
| | - Olof Echt
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (S.B.); (S.K.); (E.G.); (F.Z.); (P.S.)
- Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
- Correspondence: (F.C.); (O.E.)
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Albertini S, Gruber E, Zappa F, Krasnokutski S, Laimer F, Scheier P. Chemistry and physics of dopants embedded in helium droplets. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2022; 41:529-567. [PMID: 33993543 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Helium droplets represent a cold inert matrix, free of walls with outstanding properties to grow complexes and clusters at conditions that are perfect to simulate cold and dense regions of the interstellar medium. At sub-Kelvin temperatures, barrierless reactions triggered by radicals or ions have been observed and studied by optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The present review summarizes developments of experimental techniques and methods and recent results they enabled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Albertini
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Gruber
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Fabio Zappa
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Serge Krasnokutski
- Laboratory Astrophysics Group of the MPI for Astronomy, University of Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Felix Laimer
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Paul Scheier
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Martini P, Albertini S, Laimer F, Meyer M, Gatchell M, Echt O, Zappa F, Scheier P. Splashing of Large Helium Nanodroplets upon Surface Collisions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:263401. [PMID: 35029473 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.263401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
In the present work we observe that helium nanodroplets colliding with surfaces can exhibit splashing in a way that is analogous to classical liquids. We use transmission electron microscopy and mass spectrometry to demonstrate that neutral and ionic dopants embedded in the droplets are efficiently backscattered in such events. High abundances of weakly bound He-tagged ions of both polarities indicate a gentle extraction mechanism of these ions from the droplets upon collision with a solid surface. This backscattering process is observed for dopant particles with masses up to 400 kilodaltons, indicating an unexpected mechanism that effectively lowers deposition rates of nanoparticles formed in helium droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Martini
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simon Albertini
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Management Center Innsbruck, Department Biotechnology & Food Engineering, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Felix Laimer
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Miriam Meyer
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Michael Gatchell
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Olof Echt
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA
| | - Fabio Zappa
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, MG 36036-900 Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Paul Scheier
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Schiller A, Meyer M, Martini P, Zappa F, Krasnokutski SA, Calvo F, Scheier P. Adsorption of Helium on Small Cationic PAHs: Influence of Hydrocarbon Structure on the Microsolvation Pattern. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:7813-7824. [PMID: 34436885 PMCID: PMC8450901 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c05150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The adsorption of up to ∼100 helium atoms on cations of the planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene was studied by combining helium nanodroplet mass spectrometry with classical and quantum computational methods. Recorded time-of-flight mass spectra reveal a unique set of structural features in the ion abundance as a function of the number of attached helium atoms for each of the investigated PAHs. Path-integral molecular dynamics simulations were used with a polarizable potential to determine the underlying adsorption patterns of helium around the studied PAH cations and in good general agreement with the experimental data. The calculated structures of the helium-PAH complexes indicate that the arrangement of adsorbed helium atoms is highly sensitive toward the structure of the solvated PAH cation. Closures of the first solvation shell around the studied PAH cations are suggested to lie between 29 and 37 adsorbed helium atoms depending on the specific PAH cation. Helium atoms are found to preferentially adsorb on these PAHs following the 3 × 3 commensurate pattern common for graphitic surfaces, in contrast to larger carbonaceous molecules like corannulene, coronene, and fullerenes that exhibit a 1 × 1 commensurate phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Schiller
- Institut
für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Miriam Meyer
- Institut
für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Paul Martini
- Institut
für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Fabio Zappa
- Institut
für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Serge A. Krasnokutski
- Laboratory
Astrophysics Group of the MPI for Astronomy at the University of Jena, Helmholtzweg 3, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Florent Calvo
- CNRS,
LiPhy, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Paul Scheier
- Institut
für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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González-Lezana T, Echt O, Gatchell M, Bartolomei M, Campos-Martínez J, Scheier P. Solvation of ions in helium. INT REV PHYS CHEM 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/0144235x.2020.1794585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomás González-Lezana
- Instituto de Física Fundamental, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas IFF-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Olof Echt
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Michael Gatchell
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Physics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Massimiliano Bartolomei
- Instituto de Física Fundamental, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas IFF-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Campos-Martínez
- Instituto de Física Fundamental, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas IFF-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paul Scheier
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Calvo F, Yurtsever E. Solvation of coronene oligomers by para-H 2 molecules: the effects of size and shape. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:12465-12475. [PMID: 32462154 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp01357a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The stepwise solvation of various cationic coronene oligomers by para-hydrogen (p-H2) molecules was computationally investigated using a united-atom model for the p-H2 molecules and the Silvera-Goldman potential, together with a polarizable description for the interaction with the hydrocarbon molecules. A survey of the energy landscape for oligomers containing between 1 and 4 coronene molecules and possible different conformers was carried out using standard global optimization, the hydrocarbon complex being kept as rigid. The most stable structures provided the starting configuration of systematic path-integral molecular dynamics simulations at 2 K. The variations of the geometric and energetic properties of the solvation shell were determined with increasing number of para-hydrogen molecules. The relative stability of the solvation shell is generally found to be more robustly determined by the energy increment (or dissociation energy) than by geometrical indicators, especially when the oligomers have less ordered structures. In agreement with recent mass spectrometry experiments, the size at which the first solvation shell is complete is found to vary approximately linearly with the oligomer size when the coronene molecules stack together, with a slope that is related to the offset between two successive molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Calvo
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LIPhy, 38000 Grenoble, France.
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Kurzthaler T, Rasul B, Kuhn M, Lindinger A, Scheier P, Ellis AM. The adsorption of helium atoms on coronene cations. J Chem Phys 2016. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4960611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Kurzthaler
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Bilal Rasul
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Martin Kuhn
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Albrecht Lindinger
- Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Scheier
- Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andrew M. Ellis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
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