Mössbauer studies on laser evaporated iron atoms and their reactions with oxygen in argon matrices

Laser-evaporated iron atoms were isolated in low-temperature Ar matrices and their chemical reactions with oxygen were investigated by means of Mössbauer spectroscopy. Reactions of iron atoms with oxygen produce FeO, Fe(O2), FeO3, (O2)FeO2 and OFeO isolated in the Ar matrices and their yields vary depending on the concentration of oxygen. Similarly, FeO and Fe(O2) were obtained by the reaction of iron atoms with N2O. Infrared spectroscopy and molecular orbital calculations were applied to support their assignments.