Infrared predissociation reaction of the hydrogen bonds in the ternary cluster cation of aniline–water–benzene+

The infrared predissociation reaction of the hydrogen bonds of aniline–water–benzene cluster cation (AWB+) in NH and OH stretching region has been investigated. It has been found that an infrared photon can decompose the cluster cation AWB+ into fragments in two different reaction paths; AWB+→hνAW++B and AWB+→hνAB++W. The branching ratio of this reaction, R=(AB+/AW+) has been measured to be R=0.30 for the NH (hydrogen-bonded) stretching, and 0.36 for free OH stretching vibrations. This is the first observation of the vibrational dependence of the branching ratio of the infrared predissociation reaction of the ternary hydrogen bond cluster.