Assistance of core-ion dissociation by energy transmission from solvent molecules in N3O3-(NO)(n) (n=0-38) impact onto silicon surface

A size-selected cluster anion, N3O3-(NO)(n) (n = 0-38), was allowed to coll ide onto a silicon surface, and the product anions, NO2-, N2O2- and N3O3-(N O)(m) (m = 0-2), from the surface were observed mass-spectroscopically. The branching fractions of the product anions were measured as functions of th e energy of the incoming parent cluster anion and the size, n. It was found that NO molecules located in the vicinity of the core ion, N3O3-, transmit their kinetic energy to N3O3 most efficiently.