Selectivity in Electron Attachment to Water Clusters

Electron attachment onto water clusters to form water cluster anions is studied by varying the point of electron attachment along a molecular beam axis and probing the produced cluster anions using photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that the point of electron attachment has a clear effect on the final distribution of isomers for a cluster containing 78 water molecules, with isomer I formed preferentially near the start of the expansion and isomer II formed preferentially once the molecular beam has progressed for several millimeters. These changes can be accounted for by the cluster growth rate along the beam. Near the start of the expansion, cluster growth is proceeding rapidly with condensing water molecules solvating the electron, while further along the expansion, the growth has terminated and electrons are attached to large and cold preformed clusters, leading to the isomer associated with a loosely bound surface state.