Spectroscopy of metal ion complexes: gas-phase models for solvation.

Weakly bound metal ion complexes are produced in molecular beams and studied with mass-selected laser photodissociation spectroscopy. The metal ions Mg+ and Ca+ are the focus of these studies because they have a single valence electron and strong atomic resonance lines in convenient wavelength regions. Weakly bound complexes of these ions with rare-gas atoms and small molecules are prepared with laser vaporization in a pulsed nozzle cluster source. The vibrationally and rotationally resolved electronic spectra obtained for these complexes help to determine the complexes' structures and bonding energetics. Observations from these studies have provided many new insights into the fundamental interactions in electrostatic bonding.