Formation of Sodium Hydroxyde in Multiple Sodium−Water Cluster Collisions

Abstract

In a pickup arrangement, the reactive scattering of sodium atoms and dimers with water clusters (H2O) m , m ≤ 140, is investigated. The water cluster beam is generated in a pure supersonic expansion and crosses an atmosphere of sodium vapor. The reaction products are detected by photoionization at a wavelength of 360 nm (3.45 eV) and mass analyzed in a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Doping the H2O clusters with Na atoms results in the formation of solvated sodium atoms Na(H2O) m , representing the distribution of the pure water clusters. At higher sodium pressures also Na2 dimers are produced, which then react in a second step with the solvated Na atoms to products of the type Na(NaOH)2(H2O) m and, to a lesser extent, also to Na(NaOH)4(H2O) m . The size range follows that of the precursors with a pronounced maximum of intensities between m = 6 and 14 in the former case.

Solvation and chemical reaction of sodium in water clusters

“…This is in agreement with crossed beam experiments, where also no reaction products have been found after scattering of single Na atoms with water molecules [8]. Rea e-mail: cps@mbi-berlin.de cently, Buck and Steinbach [9] have used a modified cluster source compared to ours, where the preformed water clusters undergo multiple collisions with the sodium vapour. They could observe reaction products of the type Na + (NaOH) m (H 2 O) n with m = 2, 4 after photoionization with 360 nm.…”

“…Recently, Buck and Steinbach [9] have suggested a two step reaction mechanism to explain their observation of Na(NaOH) 2 (H 2 O) n and Na(NaOH) 4 (H 2 O) n products. After the solvation of a single sodium atom an additional collision with a sodium dimer initiates the reaction.…”

Zero energy kinetic electron and mass analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy of Na⋅(NH3)n (n=1, 2, and 4) complexes

“…The success of experimental studies of alkali complexes [27][28][29][30] is largely attributed to the development of the cluster source, either through the pickup design 31,32 or other approaches. 33, 34 Schulz's group measured the Na-N stretching and Na-NH 3 bending modes of the first electronically excited state of Na•NH 3 in a 1ϩ1Ј REMPI experiment.…”

A theoretical study of Ti nanoparticle effect on sodium water reaction: Using ab initio calculation

“…When Na and H 2 O meet, an Na/H 2 O interface forms between the different phases. SWR is composed of three steps: hydration, electron solvation, and OH bond breaking (Bewig et al, 1998;Bobbert and Schulz, 2001;Buck and Steinbach, 1998;Chan et al, 2005;Cwiklik et al, 2008a,b;Fukushima et al, 2012;Glendening and Feller, 1995;Hashimoto and Morokuma, 1994;Hashimoto et al, 2013;Kim et al, 2009;Maye and Mezei, 1996;Mundy et al, 2000;Rowley and Roux, 2012;Schulz et al, 2003;Siu and Liu, 2002;Vorontsov and Novakovskaya, 2009;Wheatley, 1996;White et al, 2000). First, water molecules surround the Na atom and solvate its valance electron.…”