Gadolinium cation (Gd+) reaction with O2: Potential energy surface mapped experimentally and with theory.

Guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometry is used to measure the kinetic energy dependent cross sections for reactions of the lanthanide metal gadolinium cation (Gd+) and GdO+ with O2 and for collision-induced dissociation (CID) of GdO2+ with Xe. Gd+ reacts with O2 in an exothermic and barrierless reaction to form GdO+ and O. GdO2+ is also formed in this reaction, but this product ion is formed in a sequential reaction, as verified by pressure dependent measurements and comparison with the results for the reaction of GdO+ with O2. The CID experiments of GdO2+ indicate the presence of two GdO2+ precursor ion populations, assigned to a weakly bound oxygen molecule adduct (Gd+-O2) and an inserted cyclic Gd+ dioxide species (O-Gd+-O). Analysis of the resulting product ion cross sections yields bond dissociation energies (BDEs, D0) for Gd+-O2 and OGd+-O, where the latter BDE is also independently measured in an exchange reaction between GdO+ and O2. The CID experiments also provide the energy of the barrier for the rearrangement of the Gd+-O2 adduct to the inserted O-Gd+-O structure (as identified by loss of a single oxygen atom). The thermochemistry measured here yields D0(OGd+-O) = 2.86 ± 0.08 eV, D0(Gd+-O2) = 0.75 ± 0.11 eV, and a barrier height relative to Gd+-O2 of 0.31 ± 0.07 eV. These data are sufficient to characterize in some detail the potential energy surface of the Gd+ reaction with O2 entirely from experiment. Theoretical calculations are performed for comparison with the experimental energetics and for further insight into the reaction mechanisms.