Gas-phase Ion-molecule Reactions of Monogermane With Oxygen and Ammonia

High-pressure and Fourier transform mass spectrometry were used to study the ion-mol. reactions of Ge-contg. ions with O, NH3, and GeH4 itself. The effects of the total pressure and of the ratio between GeH4 and O or NH3 are reported. In self-condensation reactions, the most reactive species are Ge+ and GeH2+, which give dimer ions contg. an even no. of H atoms. Formation of GeHnO2+ (n = 0, 1) and GeHnO+ (n = 0-3) ions is obsd. in the GeH4/O2 mixt. The most abundant species is GeHO+, which originates in the reaction of Ge2H2+ with one O2 mol. High-pressure expts. suggest that O-contg. ions are also formed by pathways involving monogermanium ions. Analogous behavior is obsd. in the GeH4/NH3 mixts., where GeNHn+ (n = 2, 3, 4, 6) ions are formed in higher abundances than GeHO+ (n = 0-3) ions under similar conditions.