Heterogeneous reactions between ions NH₃⁺ and NH⁺ and hydrocarbons adsorbed on a tungsten surface. Formation of HCN⁺ in NH⁺-surface hydrocarbons collisions

Interaction of NH$_3$$^{+}$ (ND$_3$$^{+}$) and NH$^{+}$ with a hydrocarbon-covered tungsten surface kept at room temperature and heated to 150{\deg}C and 300{\deg}C showed a series of reactions between the projectile ion and hydrocarbons adsorbed on the tungsten surface. Collisions with NH3+ and particularly with ND3+ showed formation of NH$_4$$^{+}$, HCNH$^{+}$, and CH$_2$NH$_2$$^{+}$ and ND$_3$H+, HCND$^{+}$, and CH$_2$ND$_2$$^{+}$, respectively, with NH$_4$$^{+}$ (ND$_3$H$^{+}$) strongly prevailing at low incident energies of the projectile ion. No formation of HCN$^{+}$ (DCN$^{+}$) could be positively identified. In reactions with NH$^{+}$ formation of HCN$^{+}$ was clearly observed; the dependence of the HCN$^{+}$ normalized ion yield on incident energy seems to indicate a threshold at about 40 eV which may be due to an activation energy or an endothermicity of the surface reaction of about 2.4-3.2 eV.