On the mechanism of water cluster-ion formation in nitrogen

Abstract
The reaction mechanism for the formation of H3O+⋅H2O ions in ionized nitrogen containing small amounts of water vapor impurity is found to differ from that established previously by Good, Durden, and Kebarle in that the reaction chain involves not only H3O+, but also N2⋅H2O+ and N2⋅H3O+ ions. The predominant reactions are identified and the associated rate coefficients are estimated.