Heterogeneous reactions between ions NH3+ and NH+ and hydrocarbons adsorbed on a tungsten surface. Formation of HCN+ in NH+-surface hydrocarbon collisions

- Collisions of NH3+, ND3+ and NH+ with a hydrocarbon-covered tungsten surface (kept at room temperature or heated to 150 and 300 °C) showed a series of chemical reactions between the projectile ion and hydrocarbons adsorbed on the tungsten surface.
- With NH3+ formation of NH4+, HCNH+, CH2NH2+, and NH4+, with ND3+ formation of ND3H+, HCND+, CH2ND2+, and ND3H+.
- In reactions with NH+, formation of HCN+ was clearly observed with a threshold at about 40 eV, due to activation energy or an endothermicity of the surface reaction of about 2.4-3.2 eV.