Mass photoionization

A connnon feature of all mass spectrometers is the need to generate ions. Over the years a variety of ion sources have been developed. The physical chemistry and chemical physics communities have generally worked on gaseous and/or relatively volatile samples and thus have relied extensively on the two traditional ionization methods, electron ionization (El) and photoionization (PI). Other ionization sources, developed principally for analytical work, have recently started to be used in physical chemistry research. These include fast-atom bombardment (FAB), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ES). 

Time-of-flight mass spectrometers have been used as detectors in a wider variety of experiments tlian any other mass spectrometer. This is especially true of spectroscopic applications, many of which are discussed in this encyclopedia. Unlike the other instruments described in this chapter, the TOP mass spectrometer is usually used for one purpose, to acquire the mass spectrum of a compound. They caimot generally be used for the kinds of ion-molecule chemistry discussed in this chapter, or structural characterization experiments such as collision-induced dissociation. Plowever, they are easily used as detectors for spectroscopic applications such as multi-photoionization (for the spectroscopy of molecular excited states) [38], zero kinetic energy electron spectroscopy [39] (ZEKE, for the precise measurement of ionization energies) and comcidence measurements (such as photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectroscopy [40] for the measurement of ion fragmentation breakdown diagrams). 

Figure B2.3.7. Schematic apparatus of crossed molecular beam apparatus with synclirotron photoionization mass spectrometric detection of the products [12], To vary the scattering angle, the beam source assembly is rotated in the plane of the detector. (By pemrission from AIP.)...

Yang X, Lin J, Lee Y T, Blank D A, Suits A G and Wodtke A M 1997 Universal crossed molecular beams apparatus with synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometric product detection Rev. Sc/. Instrum 68 3317-26... 

In Surface Analysis by Laser Ionization (SALI), a probe beam such as an ion beam, electron beam, or laser is directed onto a surfiice to remove a sample of material. An untuned, high-intensity laser beam passes parallel and close to but above the sur-fiice. The laser has sufficient intensity to induce a high degree of nonresonant, and hence nonselective, photoionization of the vaporized sample of material within the laser beam. The nonselectively ionized sample is then subjected to mass spectral analysis to determine the nature of the unknown species. SALI spectra accurately reflect the surface composition, and the use of time-of-flight mass spectrometers provides fast, efficient and extremely sensitive analysis. 

Fig. 3. Mass spectra of photoionized QgCa (top) and C7oCa) (bottom) the lower axis is labeled by the number of metal atoms on the fullerene molecule. The peaks at x = 32 for C Ca and x = 37 for C7oCa , correspond to a first metal layer around the fullerenes with one atom located at each of the rings. The edges at x = 104 and x = 114, respectively, signal the completion of a second metal layer.

Since 1960 mass spectrometry has always been an important tool to investigate the molecular composition of sulfur vapor, sulfur melts, and the solid dlotropes [201]. Mostly spectra obtained by electron impact (El) ionization have been reported, except for one study in which the main species present in sulfur vapor (S2-Ss) were studied by photoionization mass spectrometry [202]. The following ionization potentials were reported (in eV) [202] ... 

Cool, T.A. et al., Selective detection of isomers with photoionization mass spectrometry for studies of hydrocarbon flame chemistry,. Chem. Phys., 119,8356,2003. 

Cool, T.A. et al., Photoionization mass spectrometer for studies of flame chemistry with a synchrotron light source. Rev. Sci. lustrum., 76,094102,2005. 

ECD = electron capture detector FID = flame ionization detection GC = gas chromatography HECD = Hall electrolytic conductivity detector HRGC = high-resolution gas chromatography HSD = halogen-specific detector H2SO4 = sulfuric acid MS = mass spectrometry NR = not reported PID = photoionization detection UV = ultraviolet detection... 

Figure 1. Schematic illustration of the laser-vaporization supersonic cluster source. Just before the peak of an intense He pulse from the nozzle (at left), a weakly focused laser pulse strikes from the rotating metal rod. The hot metal vapor sputtered from the surface is swept down the condensation channel in dense He, where cluster formation occurs through nucleation. The gas pulse expands into vacuum, with a skinned portion to serve as a collimated cluster bean. The deflection magnet is used to measure magnetic properties, while the final chaiber at right is for measurement of the cluster distribution by laser photoionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy.

Mass spectrometric studies are not limited to the investigation of stable intermediates they have also been carried out on reaction transition states. The ultrafast studies by Zewail, for example, are nominally mass spectrometric based, where photoionization is used to detect reactive species on exceedingly short (femtosecond) time scales.Time resolved studies provide insight into the rates of unimo-lecular reactions, but do not provide direct thermochemical insight. 

Recently, Zewail and co-workers have combined the approaches of photodetachment and ultrafast spectroscopy to investigate the reaction dynamics of planar COT.iii They used a femtosecond photon pulse to carry out ionization of the COT ring-inversion transition state, generated by photodetachment as shown in Figure 5.4. From the photoionization efficiency, they were able to investigate the time-resolved dynamics of the transition state reaction, and observe the ring-inversion reaction of the planar COT to the tub-like D2d geometry on the femtosecond time scale. Thus, with the advent of new mass spectrometric techniques, it is now possible to examine detailed reaction dynamics in addition to traditional state properties." ... 

One rather unfortunate aspect of the M + hydrocarbon (and M + OX) reactions mentioned thus far is that the products of the reactions were not detected directly, but were instead inferred via the pressure and temperature dependencies of the measured rate constants for metal reactant consumption and by comparison to ab initio calculations. Exceptions are the reactions of Y, Zr + C2H4 and C3H6, for which the Weisshaar group employed the 157 nm photoionization/mass spectrometry technique to identify the products of the reaction as those resulting from bimolecular elimination of H2.45 47 95... 

However, a shortcoming with the VUV photoionization approach is that absolute PI cross-sections are very often not known, and therefore branching ratios cannot be estimated. As matter of fact, studies of photodissociation processes by soft PI using synchrotron light are usually accompanied by measurements carried out using classic (hard) El ionization, where much data have to be taken at all possible fragment masses in order to estimate branching ratios.14-16,20... 

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