In:
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Vol. 24, No. 15 ( 2022), p. 8661-8671
Abstract:
Non-local analogues of Auger decay are increasingly recognized as important relaxation processes in the condensed phase. Here, we explore non-local autoionization, specifically Intermolecular Coulombic Decay (ICD), of a series of aqueous-phase isoelectronic cations following 1s core-level ionization. In particular, we focus on Na + , Mg 2+ , and Al 3+ ions. We unambiguously identify the ICD contribution to the K-edge Auger spectrum. The different strength of the ion–water interactions is manifested by varying intensities of the respective signals: the ICD signal intensity is greatest for the Al 3+ case, weaker for Mg 2+ , and absent for weakly-solvent-bound Na + . With the assistance of ab initio calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, we provide a microscopic understanding of the non-local decay processes. We assign the ICD signals to decay processes ending in two-hole states, delocalized between the central ion and neighbouring water. Importantly, these processes are shown to be highly selective with respect to the promoted water solvent ionization channels. Furthermore, using a core-hole-clock analysis, the associated ICD timescales are estimated to be around 76 fs for Mg 2+ and 34 fs for Al 3+ . Building on these results, we argue that Auger and ICD spectroscopy represents a unique tool for the exploration of intra- and inter-molecular structure in the liquid phase, simultaneously providing both structural and electronic information.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1463-9076
,
1463-9084
Language:
English
Publisher:
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1476283-3
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1476244-4
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1460656-2
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