Gas-phase ion chemistry Gas-phase ion chemistry Gas phase ion chemistry is a field of science encompassed within both chemistry and physics. It is the science that studies ions and molecules in the gas phase, most often enabled by some form of mass spectrometry. By far the most important applications for this science is in studying the thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions. For example, one application is in studying the thermodynamics of the solvation of ions. Ions with small solvation spheres of 1, 2, 3... solvent molecules can be studied in the gas phase and then extrapolated to bulk solution. Transition state theory is
Reaction kinetics in uniform supersonic flow force for these reactions is typically an attractive long range intermolecular potential. CRESU experiments have been used to show deviations from Arrhenius kinetics at low temperatures: as the temperature is reduced, the rate constant actually increases. They can explain why chemistry is so prevalent in the interstellar medium, where many different polyatomic species have been detected (by radio astronomy). Reaction kinetics in uniform supersonic flow Reaction kinetics in uniform supersonic flow (, CRESU ) is an experiment investigating chemical reactions taking place at very low temperatures. The technique involves the expansion of a gas or mixture of gases through a