Gas-phase uranyl-nitrile complex ions

Click on the DOI link below to access the article (may not be free).Electrospray ionization was used to generate doubly charged complex ions composed of the uranyl ion and nitrile ligands. The complexes, with general formula [UO2(RCN)n]2+, n = 0-5 (where R=CH3-, CH3CH2-, or C6H5-), were isolated in an ion-trap mass spectrometer to probe intrinsic reactions with H2O. For these complexes, two general reaction pathways were observed: (a) the direct addition of one or more H2O ligands to the doubly charged complexes and (b) charge-reduction reactions. For the latter, the reactions produced uranyl hydroxide, [UO2OH], complexes via collisions with gas-phase H2O molecules and the elimination of protonated nitrile ligands.peer reviewe