Mass spectrometric and photoelectron spectroscopic studies of zirconium oxide molecular and cluster anions

We present a preliminary report on our mass spectrometric and photoelectron spectroscopic studies of zirconium oxide molecular and cluster anions usin g a newly built laser vaporization/time-of-flight/magnetic bottle, negative ion photoelectron spectrometer. This work was motivated in part by evidenc e which suggests that zirconium dioxide catalyzes the radiolysis of interfa cial water. We present our mass spectrometric observations of oxygen-rich z irconium oxide cluster anions and our photoelectron spectra of ZrO- and ZrO 2-. From the photoelectron spectrum of ZrO-, the adiabatic electron affinit y of ZrO was determined to be 1.3 +/- 0.3 eV, and from this value, the diss ociation energy of ZrO (-) (into Zr and O (-)) was found to be 7.8 +/- 0.3 eV. From the photoelectron spectrum of ZrO2-, the adiabatic electron affini ty of ZrO2 was determined to be 1.8 +/- 0.4 eV.