Chemistry and charge transfer phenomena in water cluster cations

The present paper discusses three case studies of water cluster cation stability and reactivity by FT-ICR technique: (1) HCl reactions with protonated water clusters that reveal mechanisms of ionic solvation and evaporative recombination, (2) the black body radiation induced fragmentation of hydrated magnesium, Mg+(H2O)(n), that leads to mono-hydroxide formation and evaporation of a hydrogen atom once that a critical size of n = 17 is reached, and (3) the fragmentation of hydrated aluminum cations, Al+(H2O)(n), which leads to the formation of aluminum di-hydroxide and evaporation of a hydrogen molecule at a critical size of about 22 water molecules. Solvation shell effects and possible clathrate-like structures are discussed together with the liquid-versus solid-like character of the clusters. Future investigations are proposed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.