Depletion of bismuth oxide clusters by reaction with propylene

The reaction of bismuth clusters, produced in a gas aggregation source, with pure oxygen resulted in enhanced stable poly oxides following the series BiO+(Bi2O3)n up to n=8. Reactions of these magic clusters with propylene in a scattering cell, under single collision conditions, lead to a significant reduction of the oxide peaks. Unexpectedly this finding is similar to the known catalytic reactions of propylene and solid Bi2O3. In the case of antimony oxide clusters no special reactivity can be found.