A Comparative Study of Cation and Anion Cluster Reaction Products: The Reaction Mechanisms of Lead Clusters with Benzene in Gas Phase

The cation and anion products of the reactions between lead clusters produced in the laser ablation and the benzene molecules seeded in argon were studied by high-resolution reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (RTOFMS). The dominant cation products were Pb/benzene association complexes, while the dominant anion products were dehydrogenated species, [Pb m C n ] -, [Pb m C n H k ] -, etc. One important intermediate distinguished in the anion reactions was [Pb m (C 6 H 5 )] - product. Two conspicuously different and independent reaction mechanisms were proposed for lead cluster cations and anions, respectively.