Doubly charged clusters of 1,1-difluoroethylene: Observation of an anomalous critical size

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Abstract
We present in this Communication the first observation of a critical size (n2) of 9 for doubly charged clusters of 1,1-difluoroethylene. This is a highly unusual result in that it is the lowest critical size measured so far (the previous record was n2=21 for SO2). In addition, this is the first example of a doubly charged cluster where its critical size is not predicted by the Echt scaling law (that the critical size of the doubly charged cluster is proportional to the inverse of the product of Tc and v1/3, where Tc is the critical temperature and v is the molecular volume). This suggests that the doubly charged CH2CF2 clusters are packed in a nonspherical arrangement (i.e., chains, rings, or stacking of the ethylene planes).