Bimolecular production of proton bound dimers in the gas phase. A low pressure ion cyclotron resonance technique for examination of solvent exchange equilibria and determination of single molecule solvation energetics

Abstract

A scheme is presented whereby sequences of fast bimolecular gas phase ion molecule reactions in mixtures containing (CHF2)2O may be used to generate proton bound dimer species at low pressures in an ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer. Using competitive solvent switching reactions it is demonstrated that solvent exchange equilibria may be readily established and from the thermochemical data derived from such equilibria accurate relative single molecule solvation energetics obtained.