Intracluster Proton‐Transfer between Methylsubstituted Benzene Cations and Polar Solvent Molecules Studied by Resonant Two‐Photon Ionization

Abstract

Abstract Intracluster proton‐transfer was observed for mixed clusters of toluene and p‐xylene with polar solvent molecules (NH 3 , CH 3 OH, D 2 O) after resonant two‐photon ionization of the aromatic moiety. The transfer is deduced from the appearance of protonated solvent clusters, showing the R2PI spectra of their mixed cluster precursors. This process, observable only in combination with subsequent dissociation, is cluster size dependent. The minimum number of solvent molecules necessary for a transfer to take place depends on the solvent's proton solvation energy.