Reaction of Sc+, Ti+, and V+ with CO. MC+ and MO+ bond energies

The reactions of Sc+, Ti+, and V+ with CO are studied as a function of translational energy in a guided-ion-beam tandem mass spectrometer. Formation of both metal-carbide and metal-oxide ions are observed and rationalized by a direct atom abstraction mechanism. At high energies, the ScC+ and ScO+ cross sections exhibit additional features that are unusual but can be explained by an impulsive pairwise mechanism and formation of excited-state product ions, respectively. Thresholds of the reaction cross sections are interpreted to give the 0 K bond energies (in eV) D0(ScC+)=3.34±0.06, D0(TiC+)=4.05±0.24, D0(VC+)=3.87±0.14, D0(ScO+)=7.11±0.08, D0(TiO+)=6.88±0.07, and D0(VO+)=5.81±0.17. Additional studies are used to help verify the bond energy for ScO+ and yield a recommended value of 7.14±0.11 eV. The nature of the bonding in MO+ and MC+ is discussed and compared for these three metal ions.