Erratum: “Communication: Ab initio study of O4H+: A tracer molecule in the interstellar medium?” [J. Chem. Phys. 141, 081101 (2014)]

Observation of stable HO4+ and DO4+ ions from ion–molecule reactions in helium nanodroplets

“…Although we have provided experimental evidence which supports a theoretical prediction that HO4 + can form from reactions at low temperature, 10 and that this ion is stable, the possibility of using HO4 + as a tracer molecule for O2 in the ISM is questionable. The principal obstacle here is the formation of the (O2)2 dimer,.…”

“…Two recent and related ab initio studies have suggested that HO4 + is a rather interesting molecule with a Zundel-like structure reminiscent of the protonated water dimer, H5O2 + . 10,11 According to these calculations the most stable structure is a trans isomer possessing C2h point group symmetry.…”

“…11 This will now make the O4 equivalent of reaction (1) Zundel-like structure reminiscent of the protonated water dimer, H5O2 + . 10,11 According to these calculations the most stable structure is a trans isomer possessing C2h point group symmetry.…”

“…10,11 The basic assumption here is of reaction of the (O2)2 dimer, instead of O2, with H3 + , although as discussed later it is questionable whether the dimer is 4 significant in the ISM. The proton affinity of the oxygen dimer, (O2)2, has not been measured but one would expect a higher value than for monomeric O2 because the proton can be shared between two molecules.…”

Ab initio study of the O4H+ novel species: spectroscopic fingerprints to aid its observation

“…In a recent contribution, 1,2 it was proposed that a protonated molecular oxygen dimer, O 4 H + , could be used as a tracer for the detection of molecular oxygen and its dimer in the interstellar medium. Even though oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, finding different forms in which it could be present is an unresolved issue referred to as the oxygen problem.…”