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The reactions between aluminum cluster ions Al+n (n=4–25) with oxygen have been studied using a low energy ion beam apparatus at a center of mass collision energy of 1 eV. Some extraordinary reactions were observed. Oxygen very specifically cleaves the aluminum clusters, Al+n, resulting in Al+n−m cluster ions where m=4, 5 and for the larger clusters 10. Al+ is also an important product ion for clusters with n≤13. No oxygen containing product ions were observed. We suggest that addition of oxygen to the cluster raises the ionization potential and makes AlxO+ and AlxO+2 products energetically unfavorable, thus neutral oxide species are formed.
Jarrold et al. (1986) studied this question.