Surface-induced chemical reactions of cluster ions: competitive processes of protonated acetone formation in acetone dimer-surface collisions

In low energy collisions (10-50 eV) of acetone dimer ions with a stainless steel surface (covered with hydrocarbons) we have been able to observe the occurrence of two different chemical reactions initiated by the surface imp act and leading to the protonated acetone ion, namely (1) an intracluster i on-molecule reaction, and (2) a hydrogen pick-up reaction of the cluster io n with the surface material. In accordance with predictions from molecular dynamics simulations, this appears to be the first observation of competiti ve chemical reactions of a cluster ion driven by energy transfer in a surfa ce collision. (Int J Mass Spectrom 188 (1999) L1-L6) (C) 1999 Elsevier Scie nce B.V.