SOLVATION OF IONS IN THE GAS-PHASE - A MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS SIMULATION

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on the collision be tween a cesium ion and a cluster of twenty methanol molecules. This pr ocess, generating a solvated ion, was studied over a range (1 to 25 eV ) of eight collision energies. Preliminary analysis of this gas phase solvation has included the distribution of final ion cluster sizes, fr agmentation patterns, solvation timescales and energetics. Two distinc t patterns have emerged: a ballistic penetration of the neutral cluste r at the higher collision energies and an evaporative evolution of the cluster ion at lower collision energies.