PNNL

Abstract

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) combined with in-source fragmentation and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) experiments were used to generate a wide range of multiply charged vanadium oxide cluster anions including VxOyn- and VxOyCln- ions (x = 1 - 14, y= 2 - 36, n = 1 - 3), protonated clusters, and ligand-bound VxOyn- species. These cluster anions were produced by electrospraying a solution of tetradecavanadate, V14O36Cl(L)5 (L= Et4N+, tetraethylammonium), in acetonitrile. Under mild source conditions, ESI-MS generates a distribution of doubly and triply charged VxOyCln- and VxOyCl(L)(n-1)- clusters predominantly containing 14 vanadium atoms. Accurate mass measurement using high-resolution mass spectrometry (m/?m = 60,000 at m/z 410) enabled unambiguous assignment of the elemental composition of the majority of peaks in the ESI-MS spectrum. In addition, high-sensitivity mass spectrometry allowed the charge state of the cluster ions to be assigned based on the separation of the major from the minor isotope of vanadium. In-source fragmentation resulted in facile formation of smaller VxOyCl(1-2)- and VxOy(1-2)- anions. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments enabled systematic study of the gas-phase fragmentation pathways of the cluster anions generated from solution. Surprisingly simple fragmentation patterns were obtained for all singly and doubly charged VxOyCl and VxOy species generated through multiple MS/MS experiments. In contrast, cluster ions originating directly from solution produced comparatively complex CID spectra. These results indicate that low-energy CID results in formation of stable cage-like structures of VxOyCl and VxOy anions. Furthermore, solution-phase synthesis of one precursor cluster combined with gas-phase CID is an efficient approach for the top-down synthesis of a wide range of multiply charged gas-phase metal oxide clusters for subsequent investigations of structure and reactivity.