Issue 4, 2017

Intramolecular water-splitting reaction in single collisions of water ions with surfaces

Abstract

We report the direct formation of H2 and O pair ions through single collisions of water ions with metal surfaces at hyperthermal energies. This unusual intramolecular reaction proceeds also for heavy and semi-heavy water, producing molecular D2 and HD ions. The selectivity of this water splitting channel is estimated at being between 9 and 13% versus complete dissociation. The collision kinematics support the hypothesis of a water molecule colliding with a single surface atom, thereby forming an excited precursor (Rydberg?) state, which dissociates subsequently to form the molecular hydrogen ion with high kinetic energy. Inelastic energy loss considerations yield an estimate for the energy of the excited precursor state of ∼7 eV and ∼11 eV at low and high incidence energies. These energies are close to the à state (1B1, 7.5 eV) and [B with combining tilde] state (1A1, 9.7 eV) of excited water (Rydberg states).

Graphical abstract: Intramolecular water-splitting reaction in single collisions of water ions with surfaces

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
16 Nov 2016
Accepted
14 Jan 2017
First published
18 Jan 2017
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2017,8, 2852-2858

Intramolecular water-splitting reaction in single collisions of water ions with surfaces

Y. Yao and K. P. Giapis, Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 2852 DOI: 10.1039/C6SC05065D

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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