title: Stable and long-lived trianions in the gas phase.
abstract: Stable doubly charged anions have become well known over the past decade, but the knowledge about higher charged molecules is still sparse. In this article, we discuss the current status of trianions. The different species, both from experimental and theoretical work, are classified according to their bonding characteristics, that is, ionic, metallic, or covalent. Both stability with respect to electron autodetachment and with respect to dissociation is covered. New results on the currently smallest stable covalently bound trianion are also shown. Last, we outline future perspectives in the field of multiply charged anions.
authors.affiliation: Theoretische Chemie, Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Feuerbacher
authors.forename: Lorenz S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Cederbaum