Laser ablation synthesis of arsenic phosphides AsmPn clusters from As P mixtures. Laser desorption ionisation with quadrupole ion trap time of flight mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometer as a synthesizer

Only a few arsenic phosphides are known. High potential for the generation of new compounds is offered by Laser Ablation Synthesis (LAS) and when Laser Desorption Ionisation (LDI) is coupled with simultaneous Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOFMS), immediate identification of the clusters can be achieved. LAS was used for the generation of arsenic phosphides via laser ablation of phosphorus-arsenic mixtures while quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QIT-TOFMS) was used to acquire the mass spectra. Many new AsmPn± clusters (479 binary and 369 mono-elemental) not yet described in the literature were generated in the gas phase and their stoichiometry determined. The likely structures for some of the observed clusters arbitrary selected (20) were computed by DFT optimization. LAS is an advantageous approach for the generation of new AsmPn clusters, while mass spectrometry was found to be an efficient technique for the determination of cluster stoichiometry. The results achieved might inspire the synthesis of new materials.