Eur. Phys. J. D (2013) 67: 13
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2012-30535-0

Regular Article

Isomer-separated photodissociation of large sized silicon and carbon cluster ions: Drift tube experiment combined with a tandem reflectron mass spectrometer for Si₂₄⁺– Si₂₇⁺ and C₃₂⁺–C₃₈^+*

Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, 6–3 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, 980–8578 Sendai, Japan

^a e-mail: misaizu@m.tohoku.ac.jp

Received: 28 August 2012
Received in final form: 25 October 2012
Published online: 5 February 2013

Abstract

Isomer-resolved multiphoton dissociations (PDs) with 4.66-eV laser photons were applied to carbon and silicon cluster cations, C_n⁺ (n = 32, 34, 36, and 38) and Si_m⁺ (m = 24–27), in order to investigate correlations between the isomer structures and dissociation reactions. Cyclic and fullerene structures of C_n⁺ and prolate and spherical isomers of Si_m⁺, which are the coexisting isomers in these size ranges, were separated by ion mobility spectrometry, followed by photolysis using a tandem reflectron mass spectrometer. Photofragment ion distributions were revealed to depend on the parent isomer structures. Dissociation mechanisms were discussed from the fragment ion distributions.