title: Carbon-carbon coupling reactions of medium-sized nitrogen-containing dications.
abstract: The reactivity of molecular dications C(m)H(n)N(2+), generated by (dissociative) double ionization of different heteroaromatic compounds, with methane, ethane, and nitrogen is investigated using a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. About a quarter of the set of dications studied undergo carbon-carbon coupling reactions with methane, whereas only nonspecific reactions leading to the formation of monocations (such as proton-, electron- and hydride transfer as well as Coulomb explosions) occur in the presence of either ethane or nitrogen. Here, we report the reactivity observed for 42 different C(m)H(n)N(2+) dications formed via electron ionization of eleven different heteroaromatic precursors. The potential relevance of these results is discussed in the context of the growth of hydrocarbon species and their nitrogen-containing homologues at extremely low temperatures and pressures, such as in interstellar environments or the ionospheres of planets and moons, Saturn's moon Titan in particular.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo námestí 2, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Emilie-Laure
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Zins
authors.forename: Detlef
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schröder