Issue 38, 2021

London dispersion dominating diamantane packing in helium nanodroplets

Abstract

Diamantane clusters formed inside superfluid helium nanodroplets were analyzed by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Distinct cluster sizes were identified as “magic numbers” and the corresponding feasible structures for clusters consisting of up to 19 diamantane molecules were derived from meta-dynamics simulations and subsequent DFT computations. The obtained interaction energies were attributed to London dispersion attraction. Our findings demonstrate that diamantane units readily form assemblies even at low pressures and near-zero Kelvin temperatures, confirming the importance of the intermolecular dispersion effect for condensation of matter.

Graphical abstract: London dispersion dominating diamantane packing in helium nanodroplets

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Jul 2021
Accepted
16 Sep 2021
First published
20 Sep 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021,23, 21833-21839

London dispersion dominating diamantane packing in helium nanodroplets

J. Alić, R. Messner, F. Lackner, W. E. Ernst and M. Šekutor, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021, 23, 21833 DOI: 10.1039/D1CP03380H

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