Coulomb Fission in Multiply-Charged Ammonia Clusters: Accurate Measurements of the Rayleigh Instability Limit from Fragmentation Patterns

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. a
Christopher Harris, Anthony J Stace

Abstract

A series of experiments have been undertaken on the fragmentation of multiply charged ammonia clusters, (NH3)nz+, where z ≤ 8 and n ≤ 850, to establish Rayleigh instability limits, whereby clusters at certain critical sizes become unstable due to Coulomb repulsion between the resident charges. Experimental results on size-selected clusters are found to be in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions of Rayleigh instability limits at all values of the charge. Electrostatic theory has been used to help identify fragmentation patterns on the assumption that the clusters separate into two dielectric spheres, and the predicted Coulomb repulsion energies used to establish pathways and the sizes of cluster fragments. The results show that fragmentation is very asymmetric in terms of both the numbers of molecules involved and the amount of charge each fragment accommodates. For clusters carrying a charge ≤+4, the results show that fragmentation proceeds via the loss of small, singly charged clusters. When clusters carry a charge of +5 or more, the experimental observations suggest a marked switch in behavior. Although the laboratory measurements equate to fragmentation via the loss of a large dication cluster, electrostatic theo...Continue Reading

References

Oct 1, 1988·Physical Review A: General Physics·O EchtJ M Soler
Apr 14, 1986·Physical Review Letters·D KreisleJ M Soler
Jul 18, 1988·Physical Review Letters·A J Stace
Jan 7, 1991·Physical Review Letters·N G Gotts, A J Stace
Jan 12, 2005·Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids·Hai Ming Lu, Qing Jiang
Oct 29, 2005·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Isidore LastJoshua Jortner
Mar 16, 2007·Physical Review Letters·I MährP Scheier
Jun 10, 2008·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Per Linse
Jan 23, 2009·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B·Christopher J HoganDa-ren Chen
Jun 25, 2009·Mass Spectrometry Reviews·Paul Kebarle, Udo H Verkerk
Jul 17, 2010·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Elena BichoutskaiaAnthony J Stace
Jul 2, 2011·European Journal of Mass Spectrometry·Sara CrottiPietro Traldi
Jul 1, 1993·Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry·B E WingerR D Smith
Feb 25, 2014·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Armik KhachatourianElena Bichoutskaia
May 1, 2017·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Christopher HarrisAnthony J Stace

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Oct 10, 2018·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. a·Michal FárníkPetr Slavíček
Apr 15, 2020·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. a·Jincheng ZhangCharles Michael McCallum

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.