A new hypermetallic molecule LaOMn generated by laser ablation

A new hypermetallic oxide LaOMn and its positive ion involving two heterometal atoms were observed and identified in the 532 nm laser ablation of a La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 target using both time-resolved quadrupole mass spectrometric and time-of-flight mass spectrometric techniques. The dependence of LaOMn+ yield on the laser fluence also confirmed the formation of the ionic hypermetallic species. Theoretical calculations were carried out to predict the stability and the geometric structures of these new molecules. The calculations suggest that the LaOMn and LaOMn+ molecules might be formed via secondary reactions of the neutral and ionic MnO with La or La+ in the laser ablated plasma.