A gaseous nanocalorimetry approach is used to investigate effects of hydration and ion identity on the energy resulting from ionelectron recombination. Capture of a thermally generated electron by a hydrated multivalent ion results in either loss of a H atom accompanied by water loss or exclusively loss of water. The energy resulting from electron capture by the precursor is obtained from the extent of water loss. Results for large-size-selected clusters of Co(NH 3)6(H2O)n 3؉ and Cu(H2O) n 2؉ indicate that the ion in the cluster is reduced on electron capture. The trend in the data for Co(NH 3)6(H2O)n 3؉ over the largest sizes (n > 50) can be fit to that predicted by the Born solvation model. This agreement indicates that the decrease in water loss for these larger clusters is predominantly due to ion solvation that can be accounted for by using a model with bulk properties. In contrast, results for Ca(H 2O)n
2؉indicate that an ion-electron pair is formed when clusters with more than Ϸ20 water molecules are reduced. For clusters with n ؍ Ϸ20 -47, these results suggest that the electron is located near the surface, but a structural transition to a more highly solvated electron is indicated for n ؍ 47-62 by the constant recombination energy. These results suggest that an estimate of the adiabatic electron affinity of water could be obtained from measurements of even larger clusters in which an electron is fully solvated.clusters ͉ ECD ͉ recombination ͉ hydration I on-solvent interactions are fundamental to many important phenomena in chemistry and biology, including ion transport across cell walls, salt-bridge formation, surface tension, and protein stability, yet many aspects of such interactions are still not well understood. Mass spectrometry is an important tool for probing ion-solvent interactions and has been widely used to obtain valuable thermochemical information. The ability to form gaseous hydrated clusters of many di-(1) and trivalent (2) ions has greatly expanded the capabilities of mass spectrometry to investigate important ion solvation problems. Structural information of hydrated ions has been obtained from a variety of thermochemical methods (3-5) and spectroscopy (6-9). From these studies, information about how water molecules organize around ions and how water can affect the structures of ions themselves can be obtained (8,9).Investigating the most fundamental aqueous ion, the hydrated electron, is challenging because of its powerful reducing nature (E 1/2 0 ϭ Ϫ2.87 V) (10) and high reactivity. Solvated electrons have been observed in many different solvents (11) and are important intermediates in radiation chemistry, electron transfer processes, and many biological processes, including those that can lead to irreversible cell damage. The structure of the hydrated electron has been investigated by several methods, including electron spin resonance (12) and Raman spectroscopy (13), but many details about the structure of the solvent cavity that traps the electron remain elusive.Information ab...