Thermal reactions of O2+ and O ions in gaseous ammonia

Abstract
The reaction channels and rate coefficients for the reactions of O2+ and O ions with NH3 have been determined at 21.4 °C in a flowing afterglow of pure oxygen and a mixture of helium and oxygen. Charge-transfer was found to be the dominant O2+ reaction channel whereas hydrogen atom abstraction was found to be the dominant O reaction channel. The secondary NH3+ ions were found to react further with NH3 by hydrogen abstraction to yield NH4+ ions, which readily associated with NH3 to yield cluster ions. The further reaction of secondary OH ions with NH3 was not observed suggesting that the electron affinity of NH2 may be less than 1.10 eV.