Gas phase synthesis, structure and unimolecular reactivity of silver iodide cluster cations, AgnIm (n=2-5, 0 < m < n)

Abstract

Multistage mass spectrometry (MS(n)) experiments reveal that gas phase silver iodide cluster cations, Ag(n)I(m)(+), are readily built up in a stepwise fashion via ion-molecule reactions between mass selected silver (Ag(3)(+) and Ag(5)(+)) or silver hydride (Ag(2)H(+) and Ag(4)H(+)) cluster cations and allyl iodide, in contrast to their reactions with methyl iodide, which solely result in ligation of the clusters. The stoichiometries of these clusters range from 1 < or = n < or = 5 and 1 < or = m < or = 4, indicating the formation of several new subvalent silver iodide clusters. Collision induced dissociation (CID) experiments were carried out on each of these clusters to shed some light on t..