Multiphoton ionization and oxidation processes of Mg-ammonia clusters

Multiphoton ionization and oxidation processes of ammoniated magnesium clusters are investigated by the multiphoton ionization method with an intense femtosecond laser. In the photoionization of mass-selected Mg+ (NH3)n, evaporation dominates at lower laser intensity, while the oxidation reaction to produce H-atom elimination products, MgNH2+ (NH3)m, becomes predominant at higher intensity. In addition to these fragment ions, doubly-charged ions are observed for n > or = 2 at the laser intensity higher than 10(12) W cm(-2). We also examined the femtosecond pump probe experiments for Mg+ (NH3)4 by monitoring these reaction products. The lifetime of the first excited state is determined as 0.8 ps from the temporal profile of MgNH2+ (NH3)m. On the other hand, the time profile of the evaporation products exhibits a bleaching of the absorption, which gives the recovery time of the initial state as 1.2 ps. Multiphoton excitation of Mg(NH3)n with the femtosecond laser at 800 nm gives doubly-charged ions with n > 3 in addition to singly-charged cluster ions and H-atom elimination products such as MgNH2+ (NH3)m. The absence of small doubly-charged ions is ascribed to a charge reduction reaction followed by Coulomb explosion. On the basis of these results, the dynamics of the solvation and oxidation reaction processes of Mg(NH3)n is discussed.