Doubly Charged CO2 Clusters Formed by Ionization of Doped Helium Nanodroplets

Helium nanodroplets are doped with carbon dioxide and ionized by electrons. Doubly charged cluster ions are, for the first time, identified based on their characteristic patterns of isotopologues. Thanks to the high mass resolution, large dynamic range, and a novel method to eliminate contributions from singly charged ions from the mass spectra, we are able to observe doubly charged cluster ions that are smaller than the ones reported in the past. The likely mechanism by which doubly charged ions are formed in doped helium droplets is discussed

Reactions in the radiosensitizer misonidazole induced by low-energy (0–10 ev) electrons

PD/BD/114452/2016 UID/FIS/00068/2019 PD/00193/2012 ANR-10-LABX-0066 ANR-11-IDEX-0007Misonidazole (MISO) was considered as radiosensitizer for the treatment of hypoxic tumors. A prerequisite for entering a hypoxic cell is reduction of the drug, which may occur in the early physical-chemical stage of radiation damage. Here we study electron attachment to MISO and find that it very effectively captures low energy electrons to form the non-decomposed molecular anion. This associative attachment (AA) process is exclusively operative within a very narrow resonance right at threshold (zero electron energy). In addition, a variety of negatively charged fragments are observed in the electron energy range 0–10 eV arising from dissociative electron attachment (DEA) processes. The observed DEA reactions include single bond cleavages (formation of NO2−), multiple bond cleavages (excision of CN−) as well as complex reactions associated with rearrangement in the transitory anion and formation of new molecules (loss of a neutral H2O unit). While any of these AA and DEA processes represent a reduction of the MISO molecule, the radicals formed in the course of the DEA reactions may play an important role in the action of MISO as radiosensitizer inside the hypoxic cell. The present results may thus reveal details of the molecular description of the action of MISO in hypoxic cells.publishersversionpublishe

Cationic Complexes of Hydrogen with Helium

High‐resolution mass spectra of helium nanodroplets doped with hydrogen or deuterium reveal that copious amounts of helium can be bound to H+, H2+, H3+, and larger hydrogen‐cluster ions. All conceivable HenHx+ stoichiometries are identified if their mass is below the limit of ≈120 u set by the resolution of the spectrometer. Anomalies in the ion yields of HenHx+ for x=1, 2, or 3, and n≤30 reveal particularly stable cluster ions. Our results for HenH1+ are consistent with conclusions drawn from previous experimental and theoretical studies which were limited to smaller cluster ions. The HenH3+ series exhibits a pronounced anomaly at n=12 which was outside the reliable range of earlier experiments. Contrary to findings reported for other diatomic dopant molecules, the monomer ion (i.e. H2+) retains helium with much greater efficiency than hydrogen‐cluster ions

Solvation of Na+, K+ and their dimers in helium

Helium atoms bind strongly to alkali cations which, when embedded in liquid helium, form so‐called snowballs. Calculations suggest that helium atoms in the first solvation layer of these snowballs form rigid structures and that their number (n) is well defined, especially for the lighter alkalis. However, experiments have so far failed to accurately determine values of n. We present high‐resolution mass spectra of Na+Hen, K+Hen, Na2+Hen and K2+Hen, formed by electron ionization of doped helium droplets; the data allow for a critical comparison with several theoretical studies. For sodium and potassium monomers the spectra indicate that the value of n is slightly smaller than calculated. Na2+Hen displays two distinct anomalies at n=2 and n=6, in agreement with theory; dissociation energies derived from experiment closely track theoretical values. K2+Hen distributions are fairly featureless, which also agrees with predictions

Reactions in Tirapazamine Induced by the Attachment of Low-Energy Electrons: Dissociation Versus Roaming of OH

Vienna (P30332) PD/BD/114447/2016 PTDC/FIS-AQM/31215/2017 PD/00193/2012 UID/Multi/ 04378/2019 UID/FIS/00068/2019Tirapazamine (TPZ) has been tested in clinical trials on radio-chemotherapy due to its potential highly selective toxicity towards hypoxic tumor cells. It was suggested that either the hydroxyl radical or benzotriazinyl radical may form as bioactive radical after the initial reduction of TPZ in solution. In the present work, we studied low-energy electron attachment to TPZ in the gas phase and investigated the decomposition of the formed TPZ− anion by mass spectrometry. We observed the formation of the (TPZ–OH)− anion accompanied by the dissociation of the hydroxyl radical as by far the most abundant reaction pathway upon attachment of a low-energy electron. Quantum chemical calculations suggest that NH2 pyramidalization is the key reaction coordinate for the reaction dynamics upon electron attachment. We propose an OH roaming mechanism for other reaction channels observed, in competition with the OH dissociation.publishersversionpublishe

Adsorption of Hydrogen on Neutral and Charged Fullerene: Experiment and Theory

Helium droplets are doped with fullerenes (either C60 or C70) and hydrogen (H2 or D2) and investigated by high-resolution mass spectrometry. In addition to pure helium and hydrogen cluster ions, hydrogen-fullerene complexes are observed upon electron ionization. The composition of the main ion series is (H2)nHCm+ where m = 60 or 70. Another series of even-numbered ions, (H2)nCm+, is slightly weaker in stark contrast to pure hydrogen cluster ions for which the even-numbered series (H2)n+ is barely detectable. The ion series (H2)nHCm+ and (H2)nCm+ exhibit abrupt drops in ion abundance at n = 32 for C60 and 37 for C70, indicating formation of an energetically favorable commensurate phase, with each face of the fullerene ion being covered by one adsorbate molecule. However, the first solvation layer is not complete until a total of 49 H2 are adsorbed on C60+; the corresponding value for C70+ is 51. Surprisingly, these values do not exhibit a hydrogen-deuterium isotope effect even though the isotope effect for H2/D2 adsorbates on graphite exceeds 6%. We also observe doubly charged fullerene-deuterium clusters; they, too, exhibit abrupt drops in ion abundance at n = 32 and 37 for C60 and C70, respectively. The findings imply that the charge is localized on the fullerene, stabilizing the system against charge separation. Density functional calculations for C60-hydrogen complexes with up to five hydrogen atoms provide insight into the experimental findings and the structure of the ions. The binding energy of physisorbed H2 is 57 meV for H2C60+ and (H2)2C60+, and slightly above 70 meV for H2HC60+ and (H2)2HC60+. The lone hydrogen in the odd-numbered complexes is covalently bound atop a carbon atom but a large barrier of 1.69 eV impedes chemisorption of the H2 molecules. Calculations for neutral and doubly charged complexes are presented as well

Methane Adsorption on Aggregates of Fullerenes: Site-Selective Storage Capacities and Adsorption Energies

Methane adsorption on positively charged aggregates of C60 is investigated by both mass spectrometry and computer simulations. Calculated adsorption energies of 118–281 meV are in the optimal range for high‐density storage of natural gas. Groove sites, dimple sites, and the first complete adsorption shells are identified experimentally and confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations, using a newly developed force field for methane–methane and fullerene–methane interaction. The effects of corrugation and curvature are discussed and compared with data for adsorption on graphite, graphene, and carbon nanotubes

Ordered Phases of Ethylene Adsorbed on Charged

In spite of extensive investigations of ethylene adsorbed on graphite, bundles of nanotubes, and crystals of fullerenes, little is known about the existence of commensurate phases; they have escaped detection in almost all previous work. Here we present a combined experimental and theoretical study of ethylene adsorbed on free C60 and its aggregates. The ion yield of measured by mass spectrometry reveals a propensity to form a structurally ordered phase on monomers, dimers and trimers of C60 in which all sterically accessible hollow sites over carbon rings are occupied. Presumably the enhancement of the corrugation by the curvature of the fullerene surface favors this phase which is akin to a hypothetical 1 × 1 phase on graphite. Experimental data also reveal the number of molecules in groove sites of the C60 dimer through tetramer. The identity of the sites, adsorption energies and orientations of the adsorbed molecules are determined by molecular dynamics calculations based on quantum chemical potentials, as well as density functional theory. The decrease in orientational order with increasing temperature is also explored in the simulations whereas in the experiment it is impossible to vary the temperature

Ring formation and hydration effects in electron attachment to misonidazole

This research was funded by CZECH SCIENCE FOUNDATION grant number 19-01159S; Czech Ministry of Education Youth and Sports via OP RDE Grant no. CZ.02.2.69/0.0/16_027/0008355; S.D. acknowledges funding from the FWF, Vienna (P30332).We study the reactivity of misonidazole with low-energy electrons in a water environment combining experiment and theoretical modelling. The environment is modelled by sequential hydration of misonidazole clusters in vacuum. The well-defined experimental conditions enable computational modeling of the observed reactions. While the NO- 2 dissociative electron attachment channel is suppressed, as also observed previously for other molecules, the OH- channel remains open. Such behavior is enabled by the high hydration energy of OH- and ring formation in the neutral radical co-fragment. These observations help to understand the mechanism of bio-reductive drug action. Electron-induced formation of covalent bonds is then important not only for biological processes but may find applications also in technology.publishersversionpublishe

Structures, energetics, and dynamics of helium adsorbed on isolated fullerene ions

Helium adsorbed on C60+ and C70+ exhibits phenomena akin to helium on graphite. Mass spectra suggest that commensurate layers form when all carbon hexagons and pentagons are occupied by one He each, but that the solvation shell does not close until 60 He atoms are adsorbed on C60+, or 62 on C70+. Molecular dynamics simulations of C 60Hen+ at 4 K show that the commensurate phase is solid. Helium added to C60He32+ will displace some atoms from pentagonal sites, leading to coexistence of a registered layer of immobile atoms interlaced with a nonregistered layer of mobile atomsThis work was supported by MICINN projects FIS2010-15127, ACI2008-0777, CTQ2010-17006, Consolider-Ingenio CSD2007-00010, CAM program NANOBIOMAGNET S2009/MAT1726, the Austrian Science Fund, Wien (FWF, projects P19073, L633, and I200 N29), the European Commission, Brussels (ITS-LEIF), and the European COST Action CM0702