Multiphoton dissociation/ionisation of dimethyl sulphide (CH3SCH3) at 355 and 532 nm

Multiphoton dissociation/ionization has been studied for CH₃SCH₃ at 355 and 532 nm using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The major ion signals observed at 355 nm are C⁺, CH₃ ⁺, HCS⁺, CH₂S⁺, CH₃S⁺ and CH₃SCH₃ ⁺. Power dependence studies at 355 nm show a (2+1) REMPI process for the formation of parent ion. Peaks atm/e = 46, 47 and 61 show two-photon laser power dependence whereasm/e = 15 and 45 peaks show four-photon dependence. However, in 532 nm photo-ionisation, no parent ion signal is observed. A peak atm/e = 35 corresponding to SH₃ ⁺ has been observed. SH₃ ⁺ has been suggested to originate from CH₃SCH₂ ⁺ via a cyclic transition state. Photoionisation results of CH₃SCH₃ have been compared with those of CH₃SSCH₃, at these two wavelengths.     

Mobilities of H+3 and HeH+ ions in helium gas and rate coefficient for HeH+ + H2 → H+3 + He

The mobilities of mass-identified H⁺₃ and HeH⁺ ions in helium and the reaction rate coefficient for HeH⁺ + H₂ → H⁺₃ + He have been measured by a drift-tube quadrupole mass spectrometer at 300 K. The zero-field reduced mobilities of H⁺₃ and HeH⁺ ions, corrected to 273 K, are 31.0 ± 0.8 and 23.4 ± 0.6 cm² V^?1 s^?1 respectively. The reaction rate coefficient was found to be (1.26 + 0.16) × 10^?9 cm³s^?1 and was observed to be independent of the mean ion kinetic energy in the range from 0.04 to 0.3 eV.     

Ligands of low electronegativity in the vsepr model: electron-rich hydrides MH3E2, MH4E,MH5E,and MH6E

Hydrides FH₃, ClH₃, and OH^?₃ of type MH₃E₂ are calculated to adopt D_3h structures: NH₃^2?, PH₃^2?, and SH₃^? each have two energy minima, one at D_3h and the other at a T-shaped geometry, of which the D_3his the more stable for SH₃^? but the less stable for NH₃^2? and PH₃^2?. Hydrides NH₄^2?, OH₄, and ClH₄⁺ of type MH₄E have a single energy minimum at T_d: CH₄^2?, SiH₄^2?, PH₄^?, and SH₄ each have two minima, one at T_d (more stable for SH₄ only) and one at an SF₄-like C_2v geometry, which is the more stable for CH₄^2?, SiH₄^2? and PH₄^?. D_3h and C_4V structures are very close in energy for all hydrides of type MH₅E, with no activation barrier between the two configurations: D_3h is the more stable configuration for OH₅^?, FH₅, SH₅, and ClH₅, but C_4V is the more stable for NH₅^2?, SiH₅^3?, and PH₅^?. The T_1u bending force constant in hydrides MH₆E becomes negative, for C_3V distortion, in PH₆^3? and SiH₆^4?. Both the equilibrium geometries and the force constants strongly support an interpretation, in terms of the second-order Jahn-Teller effect, of the observed stereochemical inactivity of non-bonding electrons in the presence of ligands of low electronegativity. Molecular energies, equilibrium geometries, orbital energies and electron populations are reported for all species considered in this study. Three molecular states of ClH₄^?, of type MH₄E₂, were also briefly investigated.     

Reaction of PF5·CH3CN with sulfide

Nitriles react with PF₅ and also with AsF₅, SbF₅ forming 1:1-adducts. Using C₂Cl₃F₃ as a solvent is of advantage for this reaction. PF₅·CH₃CN and [N(C₂H₅)₄]SH give [N(C₂H₅)₄][P₂S₂F₈] with a sulfur double bridge and hexafluorophosphate in acetonitrile [1]. In case of AsF₅·CH₃CN a salt with the anion [AsF₅NHCSCH₃]^? has been isolated [2]. Following products have been confirmed in a reaction mixture of PF₅·CH₃CN and SH^? in acetonitrile by NMR (³¹P and ¹⁹F): [PF₆]^?, [F₅PSPF₅]^2?,

, F₄PSH, F₃PS, HPS₂F₂, [PS₂F₂]^?, [F₅PNC(SH)CH₃]^?, [F₅PNHCSCH₃]^?, [F₅PSH]^?. With a ratio PF₅·CH₃CN: SH^? = 2:1 the S-bridge-complexes are prefered whereas in case of a ratio 1:1 the non-bridged P-complexes are the main products.     

A further study of the near-thermoneutral reactions O2H+ + H2 ⇌ H3+ + O2

The forward and reverse rate coefficients for the reactions (1) O₂H⁺ + H2 ? H₃⁺ + O₂ and (2) O₂D⁺ + D₂ ? D₃⁺ + O₂ have been determined in a SIFT at 80 and 300 K, from which values of the enthalpy and entropy changes in the reactions have been obtained. The data indicate that the proton affinity of H₂ is greater than that of O₂ by 0.33 ± 0.04 kcal mole^?1; similary, the deuteron affinity of D₂ is 0.35 ± 0.04 kcal mole^?1 greater than that of O₂. The measurements of entropy changes confirm that O₂H⁺ has a triplet electronic ground state.     

b 1Σ+ and a 1Δ emissions from group VI—VI diatomic molecules: b0+ → X10+, X21 emissions of TeSe

Near-infrared emissions of the b0⁺ → X₁0⁺, X₂1 band systems of TeSe have been observed in a discharge flow system. Analysis of the spectra yielded T_e values of the X₂1 and b0⁺ states of 1235 ± 5 cm^?1 and 8794 ± 5 cm^?1, respectively, and a vibrational spacing in the b0⁺ state of ω_e(b) = 294 ± 3 cm^?1.     

Structure and Composition of the 200 K‐Superconducting Phase of H2S at Ultrahigh Pressure: The Perovskite (SH−)(H3S+)

At ultrahigh pressure (>110 GPa), H₂S is converted into a metallic phase that becomes superconducting with a record T_c of approximately 200 K. It has been proposed that the superconducting phase is body‐centered cubic H₃S (Im m, a=3.089 Å) resulting from the decomposition reaction 3 H₂S→2 H₃S+S. The analogy between H₂S and H₂O led us to a very different conclusion. The well‐known dissociation of water into H₃O⁺ and OH^? increases by orders of magnitude under pressure. H₂S is anticipated to behave similarly under pressure, with the dissociation process 2 H₂S→H₃S⁺+SH^? leading to the perovskite structure (SH^?)(H₃S⁺). This phase consists of corner‐sharing SH₆ octahedra with SH^? ions at each A site (the centers of the S₈ cubes). DFT calculations show that the perovskite (SH^?)(H₃S⁺) is thermodynamically more stable than the Im m structure of H₃S, and suggest that the A site hydrogen atoms are most likely fluxional even at T_c .     

Lifetimes of the vibronic Ã2A1 states of H2O+ and of the 3Πi (υ′ = 0) state of OH+

Using the delayed coincidence technique, lifetimes have been measured for some Σ and Π vibronic òA₁ states of H₂O⁺ and for the ³Π_i (υ′ = 0) state of OH⁺ by analysing the decay curves of the òA₁(0, υ′₂, 0) ? X?²B₁ (0, υ″₂, 0) and the ³Π_i(υ′ = 0) ? ³Σ^?(υ″ = 0) emission intensities respectively. The excited molecular ionic states are produced via excitation of H₂O molecules by 200 eV electrons. For H₂O⁺(òA₁) the vibronic Σ levels with υ′₂ = 13 and 15 and the vibronic Π levels with υ′₂ = 12 and 14 have been considered. The radiative lifetimes obtained for these levels have about the same value, namely 10.5(±1) × 10^?6 s. The radiative lifetime for the OH⁺(³Π_iυ′= 0) state is 2.5(±0.3) × 10^?6 s. The lifetimes found in this work for H₂O⁺(òA₁) and OH⁺(³Π_i,υ′= 0) are about ten and three times longer respectively than the corresponding lifetimes given by other investigators [1,2]. The probable reason for this discrepancy is that in the other experiments no attention has been paid to the presence of a large space charge effect. This effect is caused by the positive ions which are created by the primary electron beam.     

High‐level ab initio study of the N+(3P)+SH2 reactions in the gas phase: Role of spin‐forbidden pathways

The singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces involved in N⁺+SH₂ reactions have been explored using high‐level ab initio techniques. The geometries of the stationary points were optimized at the QCISD/6‐311G(df,p) level. The final energies were obtained in CCSD(T)/6‐311+G(3df,2p) single‐point calculations. The results obtained show that, although the N⁺(¹D)+SH₂ entrance channel is higher in energy than the N⁺(³P)+SH₂ one, most of the [H₂, S, N]⁺ singlet state cations are lower in energy than the corresponding triplets, due to their different bonding characteristics. Both singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces are quite close each other, and crossover between them can occur. The minimum energy crossing points were located by means of CASSCF(6,5) calculations. The spin‐orbit couplings show that the transition probability from the triplet to the singlet potential energy surface is significantly large. One of the most important consequences is that some of the products of the reaction, such as SH⁺, can be formed in typical spin‐forbidden processes. Since all the relevant structures along these pathways are much lower in energy than the reactants, this mechanism should be accessible even at low impact energies and therefore could be important in processes taking place in interstellar media. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001     

Measurement of the product ion ratio N4+/N3+ in the radiolysis of nitrogen

The ratio of N₄⁺ to N₃⁺ formed in the radiolysis of gaseous nitrogen has been measured to be 4.7 ± 0.4 using a time-resolved atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer. The limit of error has been evaluated from the ion mass discrimination of the apparatus.     

b 1Σ+ Emissions from group V–VII diatomic molecules: bO+ → X1 O+ emission of Pl

Chemilluminescence of the bO⁺ → X₁O⁺ band system of P1 has been observed in a discharge flow system. Thirty-eight bands of the sequences, δν = +2, +1, 0, ?1, ?2 and ?3 were recorded photoelectrically at medium resolution. Evidence is presented that the vibrational numering assigned to the bands in the recently published first analysis of this system has to be modified. The re-analysis leads to the new constants (in cm ^?1) T_e = 11135 ± 5, ω′_e 400 ± 2, ω_e′_e = 1.4 ± 0.3, ω″_e = 372 ±2 and ωχ″_e, 1.4 ± 0.3 for the bO⁺ and χ₁ states, respectively. An upper limit of 0.01 was found for the ratio of the (0.0) band intensifies of the two sub-systems bO⁺ → χ₂ 1 and bO⁺ → χ₁O⁺.     

Photodissociation of the dimer ions Ar+2, Ne+2, and (CO2)+2

The tandem quadrupole photodissociation mass spectrometer has been used to study photodissociation reactions of Ar⁺₂, Ne⁺₂, and (CO₂)⁺₂. The cross sections for photodissociation of Ar⁺₂ exhibited a strong dependence on ion source pressure, varying from 2 × 10 ^?18cm² at 0.1 torr to 6 × 10^?19cm² at 0.5 torr. A large photodissociation cross section (2 × 10^?17cm² for the reaction (CO₂)⁺₂ → CO⁺₂+ CO₂ was observed at the red end of the visible spectrum (580–620 nm) suggesting that this may be an important reaction in CO₂ rich planetary ionspheres such as that of Mars.     

Basis set dependence of ab initio geometry predictions for AB4 molecules

Theoretical predictions of AB₄ molecular structures are very sensitive to choice of basis set. This has been previously demonstrated for the SH₄ and SF₄ molecules. Here it is shown that while both minimum and double zeta basis sets predict ClF₄⁺ to have a C_4v structure, the addition of d functions on Cl results in a C_2v geometry, similar to the experimentally known structure of SF₄.     

Kinetics of the association of H+3 with H2 at low temperatures

The rate constant for the formation of H⁺₅ (D⁺₅) at (86 ± 3) °K by the three-body process has been determined (k₃(H) = (2.16 ± 0.10) × 10^?28 × 10^?28 cm⁶/molecule² sec and k₃(D) = (1.47 ± 0.20) × 10^?28 cm⁶/molecule² sec) in a high pressure mass spectrometer. Comparison of this result with published rate data at 300 °K indicates the reaction has an apparent activation energy of ?1.5 kcal/mole.     

The H2 elimination reactions of Ã2B3g C2H4+ and C2D4+

Kinetic energy releases from the unimolecular H₂ (D₂) elimination reactions of energy-selected òB_3gC₂H₄⁺(C₂D₄⁺) have been obtained by a photoelectron-photoion coincidence technique. The energy releases suggest a 1,1 elimination and are compatible with the presence of a small reverse activation energy barrier of the order of 0.02 eV. Such a barrier was indicated by a detailed ab initio study of this dissociation and the present results are discussed in the light of this theoretical treatment.     

Rate constant for the deactivation of O2 (A3Σu+ by N2

A value of (9.3 ± 1.7) × 10^?15 cm³ molecule ^?1 has been determined as the rate constant for the quenching of O₂(A ³Σ_u⁺) by N₂ at 25°C.     

Studies on the reaction N + N3 → N2(B 3Πg) + N2(X 1Σ+g)

Strongly enhanced N₂ first positive emission N₂(B ³Π_g → A ³Σ⁺_u) has been observed on addition of N atoms into a flowing mixture of Cl and HN₃. The dependence of the emission intensity on N atom concentration gave a rate constant for the reaction N + N₃ → N₂(B ³Π_g) + N₂(X ¹Σ⁺_g) of _i(1.6 ± 1.1) × 10^?11 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1. That for the reaction Cl + HN₃ → HCl + N₃ is (8.9 ± 1.0) × 10^?13 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 from the decay of the emission. Comparison of the emission intensity in ClHN₃ with that in ClHN₃N gave the rate constant of the reaction N₃ + N₃ → N₂(B ³Π_g) + 2N₂(X ¹Σ⁺_g) as 1.4 × 10^?12 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 on the assumption that N + N₃ yields only N₂(B ³Π_g) + N₂(X ¹Σ⁺_g).     

Sensitization of the CN(B2Σ+ → X2Σ+) emission by Hg(63P0) metastables

The vibrational analysis of the CN(B²Σ⁺ → X²Σ⁺) emission sensitized by Hg(6³P₀) metastables has shown that the energy transfer process, Hg(6³P₀) + CN(X²Σ⁺) → Hg(6¹S₀) + CN(B²Σ⁺), populates the CN(B²Σ⁺) state in a non-Franck-Condon fashion. The relative vibrational populations for the ν = 0 to 4 states are 1.00, 0.56 ± 0.06, 0.26 ± 0.03, 0.11 ± 0.03 and 0.04 ± 0.01, respectively. Long-range attractive interaction between the Hg(6³P₀) atom and the CN(X²Σ⁺) radical is evidenced by the observed high rotational excitation of the CN(B²Σ⁺) radical following the energy transfer process.     

Ã2Σ+ → X̃+Π Emission spectra of the phosphaethyne cations,HCP+ and DCP+

The electron impact excited òΣ⁺ → X?⁺Π emission spectra of HCP⁺ and DCP⁺ have been observed. The spin-orbit split 0-0 band has maxima at 593.7 and 599.0 nm for HCP⁺ and 593.6 and 598.8 nm for DCP⁺. Short progressions in the V₃(CP) vibration are observed. a₀, v₃ and the upper-state lifetime are determined.     

b1Σ+ Emissions from group V–VII diatomic molecules. b 0+ → X1 0+, X2 1 emissions of AsI and SbI

Chemiluminescence from the b 0⁺ → X₁ 0⁺ band system of AsI and of the b 0⁺ → X₁ 0⁺, X₂ 1 systems of SbI in the near-infrared spectral region has been observed in a discharge flow system. Analysis of the spectra led to the spectroscopic constants (in cm^?1) of AsI: ω_e(X₁, X₂) = 257 ± 2, ω_ex_e(X₁, X₂) = 0.82 ± 0.2, T_e(b 0⁺) = 11738 ± 5, ω_e(b 0⁺) = 271 ± 2, ω_ex_e(b 0⁺) = 0.66 ± 0.2, and of SbI: T_e(X₂ 1) = 965 ± 10, ω_e(X₁, X₂) = 206 ± 6, T_e(b 0⁺) = 12328 ± 10, ω_e(b 0⁺) = 211 ± 6. The intensity ratio of the two sub-systems b 0⁺ → X₂ 1 and b 0⁺→ X₁ 0⁺ was found to be ≈0.013 in the case of SbI and ? 0.01 for AsI.