Hydration energies in the gas phase of select (MX)mM+ ions, where M+ = Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, NH4+ and X- = F-, Cl-, Br-, I-, NO2-, NO3-. Observed magic numbers of (MX)mM+ ions and their possible significance.

The sequential hydration energies and entropies with up to four water molecules were obtained for MXM(+) = NaFNa(+), NaClNa(+), NaBrNa(+), NaINa(+), NaNO(2)Na(+), NaNO(3)Na(+), KFK(+), KBrK(+), KIK(+), RbIRb(+), CsICs(+), NH(4)BrNH(4)(+), and NH(4)INH(4)(+) from the hydration equilibria in the gas phase with a reaction chamber attached to a mass spectrometer. The MXM(+) ions as well as (MX)(m)M(+) and higher charged ions such as (MX)(m)M(2)(2+) were obtained with electrospray. The observed trends of the hydration energies of MXM(+) with changing positive ion M(+) or the negative ion X(-) could be rationalized on the basis of simple electrostatics. The most important contribution to the (MXM-OH(2))(+) bond is the interaction of the permanent and induced dipole of water with the positive charge of the nearest-neighbor M(+) ion. The repulsion due to the water dipole and the more distant X(-) has a much smaller effect. Therefore, the bonding in (MXM-OH(2))(+) for constant M and different X ions changes very little. Similarly, for constant X and different M, the bonding follows the hydration energy trends observed for the naked M(+) ions. The sequential hydration bond energies for MXM(H(2)O)(n)(+) decrease with n in pairs, where for n = 1 and n = 2 the values are almost equal, followed by a drop in the values for n = 3 and n = 4, that again are almost equal. The hydration energies of (MX)(m)M(+) decrease with m. The mass spectra with NaCl, obtained with electrospray and observed in the absence of water vapor, show peaks of unusually high intensities (magic numbers) at m = 4, 13, and 22. Experiments with variable electrical potentials in the mass spectrometer interface showed that some but not all of the ion intensity differentiation leading to magic numbers is due to collision-induced decomposition of higher mass M(MX)(m)(+) and M(2)(MX)(m)(2+) ions in the interface. However, considerable magic character is retained in the absence of excitation. This result indicates that the magic ions are present also in the saturated solution of the droplets produced by electrospray and are thus representative of particularly stable nanocrystals in the saturated solution. Hydration equilibrium determinations in the gas phase demonstrated weaker hydration of the magic ion (NaCl)(4)Na(+).