Structures of medium sized tin cluster anionsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c1cp22874a

• Main Authors: Wiesel, Anne, Drebov, Nedko, Rapps, Thomas, Ahlrichs, Reinhart, Schwarz, Ulrike, Kelting, Rebecca, Weis, Patrick, Kappes, Manfred M, Schooss, Detlef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1463-9076; 1463-9084
• DOI: 10.1039/c1cp22874a

The structures of medium sized tin cluster anions Sn n − ( n = 16-29) were determined by a combination of density functional theory, trapped ion electron diffraction and collision induced dissociation (CID). Mostly prolate structures were found with a structural motif based on only three repeatedly appearing subunit clusters, the Sn 7 pentagonal bipyramid, the Sn 9 tricapped trigonal prism and the Sn 10 bicapped tetragonal antiprism. Sn 16 − and Sn 17 − are composed of two face connected subunits. In Sn 18 − -Sn 20 − the subunits form cluster dimers. For Sn 21 − -Sn 23 − additional tin atoms are inserted between the building blocks. Sn 24 − and Sn 25 − are composed of a Sn 9 or Sn 10 connected to a Sn 15 subunit, which closely resembles the ground state of Sn 15 − . Finally, in the larger clusters Sn 26 − -Sn 29 − additional bridging atoms again connect the building blocks. The CID experiments reveal fission as the main fragmentation channel for all investigated cluster sizes. This rather unexpected "pearl-chain" cluster growth mode is rationalized by the extraordinary stability of the building blocks. The structures of medium sized tin cluster anions Sn n − , n = 16-29, were determined by a combination of density functional theory, trapped ion electron diffraction and collision induced dissociation.