Anion and cation formation following Cl (1s) and S (1s) excitation in the SOCl$_2$ molecule

The ionization of deep core-level electrons is normally followed by a complicated array of processes involving cascading Auger mechanisms and giving rise to highly charged species. In contrast, the ionization of shallow core-level electrons in molecules is usually followed by Auger processes involving the depletion of valence-shell electrons. We have recently shown that the Cl (1s) and S (1s) excitation of the chloroform (CHCl$_3$) and dimethylsulfoxide (CH$_3$SOCH$_3$) molecules leads to the formation of a rich array of positive and negative ions. Anion formation is particularly interesting due to the low probability of formation; they usually originate from decay pathways distinct from the pathways associated with cation formation. In the present work, cationic and anionic mass spectrometry results are presented for the SOCl$_2$ molecule, excited both in the Cl (1s) and in the S (1s) edges in experiments at the ALS beamline 9.3.1.