Dissociation energies have been determined for Al_n^+ clusters (n = 25–83) using a new experimental approach that takes into account the latent heat of melting. According to the arguments presented here, the cohesive energies of the solidlike clusters are made up of contributions from the dissociation energies of the liquidlike clusters and the latent heats for melting. The size-dependent variations in the measured dissociation energies of the liquidlike clusters are small and the variations in the cohesive energies of solidlike clusters result almost entirely from variations in the latent heats for melting. To compare with the measured cohesive energies, density-functional theory has been used to search for the global minimum energy structures. Four groups of low energy structures were found: Distorted decahedral fragments, fcc fragments, fcc fragments with stacking faults, and “disordered.” For most cluster sizes, the measured and calculated cohesive energies are strongly correlated. The calculations show that the variations in the cohesive energies (and the latent heats) result from a combination of geometric and electronic shell effects. For some clusters an electronic shell closing is responsible for the enhanced cohesive energy and latent heat (e.g., n = 37), while for others (e.g., n = 44) a structural shell closing is the cause.
