Formation of H3+ due to intramolecular bond rearrangement in doubly charged methanol.

We report the formation of H3+ by proton coagulation in methanol under the impact of low energy Ar(8+) projectiles. Our time-of-flight coincidence measurements with CH3OD establish that the H3+ formation arises from intramolecular bond rearrangement of the methyl group. We have performed ab initio quantum chemical calculations that show the preferred pathway for C-H3 bond cleavage. Fragmentation of organic molecules like methanol under impact of highly charged ions is suggested as an alternative mechanism of H3+ formation in outer space.