Experimental Confirmation of SrF(CH 3 F) 0-4 + and SrF(H 2 O)(CH 3 F) 0-3 + Cluster Ions Generated in the Reaction-cell of ICP-QMS/QMS.

Multiple unknown high-order cluster ions were observed as the results of ion-molecule reactions between strontium ions and fluoromethane molecules in the reaction-cell of an inductively coupled plasma tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer (ICP-QMS/QMS). In order to elucidate the structures of these unknown cluster ions, isotope-enriched fluoromethane (CD3 F) was used as the reaction-cell gas compared to natural fluoromethane (CH3 F). As results, SrF(CH3 F)0-4 + and SrF(H2 O)(CH3 F)0-3 + cluster ions were experimentally confirmed in the present work, while SrF(H2 O)(CH3 F)0-3 + cluster ions in the reaction-cell of ICP-QMS/QMS were observed and confirmed for the first time in the world.