Multicollision-induced dissociation of multiply charged gold clusters, Aun2+, n = 7–35, and Aun3+, n = 19–35

2000

Abstract Multicollision-induced dissociation (MCID) has been applied to gold clusters, Au n 2+ (n = 7–35) and Au n 3+ (n = 19–35) stored in a Penning trap. By application of ion cyclotron resonance excitation and pulses of argon collision gas, fragmentation yields have been measured as a function of the clusters’ kinetic energy. The corresponding dissociation energies have been determined by use of the impulsive collision theory and the quantum Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel (RRK) model for the energy transfer to internal cluster modes and for delayed dissociation, respectively. As compared to earlier measurements of singly charged gold clusters the variation of the stability as a function of clust…