Formation and stabilities of cluster ions Ar+n

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Abstract
Temperature dependence of the rate constants for the clustering reaction, Ar+(2P3/2)+2Ar=Ar+2(2Σ+u)+Ar, was measured in the temperature range 300–55 K using a pulsed electron‐beam mass spectrometer. The rate constant shows a steady increase with decrease of temperature, from 2.0×10−31 cm6/s at 300 K to 7×10−31 cm6/s at 55 K. The metastable atomic ion Ar+(2P1/2) was found to start to form the cluster ion Ar+2 below 130 K. The thermochemical stabilities of the cluster ions Ar+n were also determined with n=3–11. A sudden drop in the −ΔH0n−1,n values was observed between n=3 and 4, indicating that the Ar+3 ion is the core in the cluster Ar+n.