Selective formation of Ni13O8+ and Ni16O10+ by the reactions of nickel cluster cations with oxygen

The reactions of nickel cluster cations, Nin+(n=2-29), with O2 and their sequential reactions were studied using FT-ICR mass spectrometry. Reaction products were observed after 10−1-103 collisions with O2. The reaction probabilities of Nin+(n=3-15) with O2 were almost unity while that of Ni2+ was around 0.5. After 102-103 collisions with O2, the fully oxidized nickel clusters with the bulk nickel oxide composition (Ni/O = 1) were produced. However, the dominant products were two kinds of nickel suboxide clusters, Ni13O8+ and Ni16O10+, which were inert in O2 under the present conditions.