A novel merged beams apparatus to study anion-neutral reactions

Abstract

We have developed a novel laboratory instrument for studying gas phase, anion-neutral chemistry. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such apparatus which uses fast merged beams to investigate anion-neutral chemical reactions. As proof-of-principle we have detected the associative detachment reaction H-+H→ H2 + e-. Here we describe the apparatus in detail and discuss related technical and experimental issues. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.