The formation and reactivity of HOC+: Interstellar implications

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Abstract
CHO+ ions are made by electron impact on CD3OH in the source (ICR1) of a tandem ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer. These ions are injected into a differentially pumped analysis cell (ICR2) where they are reacted with a number of small molecules. The internal energy distribution in the CHO+ ions is obtained using total reactivity studies with neutral molecules of varying proton affinities. About 40% of the CHO+ ions react with D2 either by proton transfer to form D2H+ or isotopic exchange to form CDO+ ions. A series of experiments are performed that conclusively show these ions are the HOC+ isomer and the exchange is due to the catalytic isomerization reaction HOC++D2→DCO++HD which is approximately 37 kcal/mol exothermic. The product DCO+ ions are vibrationally cool indicating the reaction releases most of its energy as kinetic energy. Absolute rate constants for reactions of CHO+ ions with the neutrals 13CO, 15N2, CO2, O2, D2, and Ar are reported. HOC+ reacts with D2 at about 30% of the collision rate. This rate decreases with increasing HOC+ kinetic energy in the range 0.025 to 0.44 eV. The two products of the reaction are D2H+/CO and DCO+/HD with DCO+/HD comprising ∼42% of the products for the HOC+ ions formed from CD3OH. Phase space theory calculations are performed to determine the barrier to catalytic isomerization. The data are best fit with a barrier between 0.0 and −0.05 eV relative to the HOC+/D2 asymptotic energy. A barrier of this magnitude yields reaction rate constants at interstellar temperatures of at least 10% of the collision rate constant (i.e., k>1×10−10 cm3/s), and could explain why so little HOC+ is observed in interstellar clouds.