Palladium acetate complexes in the gas phase

New palladium acetate complexes, Pd2(OOCMe) 4 + , Pd2(OOCMe) 3 + , Pd2(OOCMe) 2 + , and Pd2(OOCMe)+ were detected in the thermal decomposition products of trans-Pd(Py)2(OOCMe)2 by mass spectrometry with direct ion source. The geometric and electronic structures of the Pd2(μ-OOCMe) 4 + cation and the Pd2(OOCMe)4 molecule were established by quantum chemical calculations (DFT with the PBE1PBE hybrid exchange correlation potential in the 6-31G*/SDD basis set) and natural orbital analysis.