Photoionisation of ethylene clusters by synchrotron radiation in the energy range 17-50 eV

In this work, we have investigated the photoionisation of ethylene clusters in the energy range between 17 and 50 eV by following the yield of C3H5+, C4H7+, and C4H8+ product ions. The formation of these stable molecular ions, by conversion into molecular bonds of the weak van der Waals bonds between the ethylene molecules, demonstrates that photoionisation can provide a mechanism for the synthesis of complex molecules from simpler units. The possible role of the ionisation of van der Waals clusters evaporated from dust grains as a complementary mechanism for the synthesis of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium is discussed.