Reaction channels in a plasma reactor-laser vaporization source. Formation of carbon clusters and metal-carbon clusters
✍ Scribed by Z.Y. Chert; B.C. Guo; B.D. May; S.F. Cartier; A.W. Castleman Jr.
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1992
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 362 KB
- Volume
- 198
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0009-2614
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✦ Synopsis
Two reaction channels have been found when light hydrocarbon gases are introduced into the carrier gas of a plasma reactor coupled with a laser vaporization source employing a metal rod assembly. These involve dehydrogenation to produce pure carbon clusters, and formation of metal-carbon bonds to produce metal-carbon clusters, MInCe-. Using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer system coupled with a laser vaporization plasma source, experiments are conducted to investigate the optimum conditions for selecting the desired reaction channels. Varying the conditions of the plasma reactor results in a striking difference in the species produced as evidenced in the recorded mass spectra. That is, either a pure carbon cluster series or a metal-carbon cluster series MmCn + (with a magic peak at MsC i~2 ) is obtained. These studies demonstrate an alternative way to produce beams of carbon clusters, and also have led to the further development of a method useful for investigating the properties of metal-carbon clusters.