The ion chemistry of aluminum and boron, primarily in the + 3 oxidation state, was studied by doping premixed, methane-oxygen flames of both fuel-rich and fuel-lean (oxygen-rich) composition with 1 x lo-' mol fraction of AICI, and 5 X 10-"01 fraction of B(OC2H5),. Ions were observed by sampling the flames at atmospheric pressure through a nozzle into a mass spectrometer. At this low concentration level, aluminum exhibits two cation series: (a) Al0'..nHz0 (n = 2 , 3 ) formed by proton transfer to AlO(0H) and A1(OH)3 in which hydration reactions are involved; and (0) A I + .nH20

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