title: Direct detection of solid inorganic mercury salts at ambient pressure by electron-capture and reaction-assisted HePI mass spectrometry.
abstract: Solid HgCl2 is readily detected at ambient conditions by electron capture in a HePI-MS source. The captured electron occupies the empty 6 s orbital of the Hg atom. The resulting radical-anion HgCl2 (-•) can exist as three "flexomers" of different Cl-Hg-Cl angle. The facile in-source formation of HgCl2 (-•) and the adduct [HgCl3](--) is exploited to detect other solid Hg compounds by exposing them to an external chloride source, such as HCl, NaCl, or vapors emanating from solid TiCl3. In situ oxidation of Hg2Cl2 with H2O2 generated signals for HgCl2 (-•) and [HgCl3] (-), suggesting that oxidation makes Hg 6 s orbital available for electron capture.
authors.affiliation: Center for Mass Spectrometry, Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Castle Point on the Hudson, Hoboken, NJ, 07030, USA.
authors.forename: Sathis S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Weerasinghe
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pavlov
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Athula B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Attygalle
mesh_terms: D007536:Isomerism; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D008627:Mercuric Chloride / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D008627:Mercuric Chloride