Experimental observation of the negatively charged water dimer and other small (H2O)−n clusters

Abstract

Beams of (H₂O)⁻_n and (D₂O)⁻_n have been produced by injecting low energy electrons into a supersonic expansion of water and heavy water seeded in rare gases. Clusters with n≥2, with the exception of n=4, have been observed. The size distribution can be separated into three groups (n=2, n=6–7, and n≥10), which may be associated with different types of electron binding. The nn≥10 correspond to the n=11 threshold observed earlier in pure H₂O expansions.