Tensor polarizabilities of the 4f 7(8 S)5d6s 2 9 D 2,3,4,5,6 levels in Gd I

The optical pumping method with rf detection and the nonlinear level crossing technique were used in parallel electric and magnetic fields to investigate the Stark splitting of all the fine structure levels of the ground multiplet 4f ⁷ (⁸ S) 5d6s ^{2 9} D in Gd I. The tensor polarizabilities were deduced from the level crossing and the rf signals. The variation of the tensor polarizabilities is well reproduced by the LS coupling approximation, except for the small value of the⁹ D ₅ level. A value of the tensor polarizability of the 5d electron is evaluated from the experimental results, ₂(5d)=2.00(6) kHz(kV/cm)². It is shown that the ratio between the electric quadrupole constant and the tensor polarizability is constant, except for the⁹ D ₅ ratio, which is caused by a breakdown of the central field model.     

Lifetime measurements of the 3d 94s(1 D) 4p configuration of Cu I

The radiative lifetimes of the levels in the 3d ⁹4s(¹ D)4p configuration of Cu I are measured. The levels are excited from the metastable 3d ⁹4s ^{2 2} D _3/2,5/2 levels. The metastable Cu atoms are generated in a pulsed hollow cathode discharge. The levels investigated are populated with a 35-ps laser pulse at wavelengths around 220 nm. The laser induced fluorescence signal is detected. The lifetime of the 3d ⁹4s(³ D)4p ⁴ D _1/2 level is also determined by direct excitation from the ground state. A comparison with calculated literature values is given.     

Laser and radiofrequency spectroscopy of the 5d 4 6s 6 D multiplet in Ta I

The hyperfine structure (hfs) of¹⁸¹Ta has been investigated using laser radio-frequency double resonance and high resolution laser spectroscopy on collimated atomic beams. The magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole hyperfine structure coupling constants of the 5d ^{4 6} s 6D _{3/2, 5/2, 7/2, 9/2} metastable states have been determined using radio-frequency spectroscopy. In the 5d ⁴ 6s ⁶ D _1/2 metastable state and the excited 5d ³ 6s 6p ⁴ D _3/2,⁶ D _{5/2, 9/2} as well as the unidentified 28 182.6 cm^–1 and 30 021.2 cm^–1 states, hfs constants have been obtained from high resolution laser spectroscopy. A radio-frequency converter has been developed in order to reach the frequency region 2.7–10 GHz.     

A relativistic CI study on OIII: wavefunctions,excitation energies and transition probabilities

The relativistic CI method is used to determine N-electron wavefunctions for the 1s ² 2s ² 2p ² (³ P ₀,³ P ₂,¹ D ₂), 1s ² 2p ^{4 3} P ₂ even levels, and the 1s ²2s2p ³ (³ D ₁,³ P ₁,³ S ₁,¹ P ₁), 1s ²2s ²2p3s (³ P ₁ and¹ P ₁), 1s ²2s ²2p3d (³ D ₁,³ P ₁,¹ P ₁)J=1 OIII levels. Excitation energies and emission probabilities between these levels are reported in the electric dipole approximation, both for the Coulomb and the Babushkin gauges.ns, p,np,nd- andnd (n17) numerical basis functions have been used for the construction of CSF's entering the CI expansion for the ASF's of these levels. Radiative matrix elements of the type calculated here within the framework of the relativistic CI method, may be used in laser assisted spectroscopic studies of atoms and ions.     

Nature of closed‐ and open‐shell interactions between noble metals and rare gas atoms

Interactions between noble metals and rare gases have become an interesting topic over the last few years. In this work, a computational study of the open‐shell (d¹⁰s¹) and closed‐shell (d¹⁰s and d¹⁰s²) noble metals (M = Cu, Ag, and Au) with three heaviest rare gas atoms (Rg = Kr, Xe, and Rn) has been performed. Potential energy curves based on ab initio [MP2, MP4, QCISD, and CCSD(T)] and DFT functionals (M06‐2X and CAM‐B3LYP) were obtained for ionic and neutral AuXe complexes. Dissociation energies indicate that neutral metals have the lowest and cationic metals have the highest affinities for interaction with rare gas atoms. For the same metals, there is a continuous increase in dissociation energies (D_e) from Kr to Rn. The nature of bonding and the trend of D_e and equilibrium bond lengths (R_e) have been interpreted by means of quantum theory of atoms in molecules, natural bond orbital, and energy decomposition analysis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Electronic states of the NiCu molecule determined byab initio Hartree-Fock and configuration interaction methods

The interaction between a Ni atom and a Cu atom in the configurations (3d)⁹(4s)¹ and (3d)¹⁰(4s)¹, respectively, has been calculated usingab initio Hartree-Fock and configuration interaction methods. The chemical bond between the two atoms is due to a bonding 4sσ molecular orbital. Equilibrium distances, dissociation energies and vibrational frequencies are predicted for the low-lying states. Finally the influence of spin-orbit coupling on the low-lying states is considered.     

Ionization potential of excited states of Be‐like sequence in the concept of iso‐spectrum‐level series

With the introduction of the concept of the iso‐spectrum‐level series, a linear relationship is found between the first differences of the ionization potential of excited states and nuclear charge Z along an iso‐spectrum‐level series, and the ionization potential of excited states of Be‐like sequence are studied systematically on the basis of the weakest bound electron potential model theory. The expression of nonrelativistic ionization potential is derived from the weakest bound electron potential model theory, and relativistic effects are included by using a fourth‐order polynomial in Z. As a demonstration, the ionization potentials of [He]2s2p ³P, [He]2s3s ¹S₀, [He]2s3p ¹P, [He]2s3d ¹D₂, and [He]2s4d ¹D₂ series for a range of Be‐like sequence from Z = 4–23 are calculated. The results are compared with the experimental data and the recent sophisticated ab initio results. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 93: 344–350, 2003     

Precision measurement of the energy of the 4d 9 5s 2 2 D 5/2 metastable level in Ag I

The energy of the 4d ⁹ 5s ^{2 2} D _5/2 metastable level in Ag I, which is the upper level of the very narrow 5s ² S _1/2 – 4d ⁹ 5s ^{2 2} D _5/2 two-photon transition at 661.2 nm, has been determined from precision measurements of the wavelengths of the 206.1 nm (5s ² S _1/2 – 6p ² P ₃ ^2/0 ) and 547.5 nm (4d ⁹ 5s ^{2 2} D _5/2 – 6p ² P ₃ ^2/0 ) lines emitted from a hollow-cathode discharge. The measured energy of the 4d ⁹ 5s ^{2 2} D _5/2 level, 30 242.286(7) cm^–1, is combined with the known hyperfine splittings and the estimated¹⁰⁷Ag-¹⁰⁹Ag isotope shift to obtain accurate absolute frequencies for the hyperfine components of the 661.2 nm transition. These results should help in the detection of the narrow 661.2 nm two-photon transition, which has been proposed as a new optical frequency standard.     

Lifetimes of the 4s4p 3 P 1 and 4s3d 1 D 2 states of Ca I

The lifetimes of the 4s4p ³ P ₁ and 4s3d ¹ D ₂ metastable states of Ca have been studied using the time-of-flight technique. Two kinds of observations were performed. First, the exponential decay of the fluorescence, using a (continuous) dc discharge for excitation and then the velocity distribution of the radiating atoms, using a pulsed discharge, were measured. From the combined results of these measurements the lifetimes were derived. The lifetimes of the 4s4p ³ P ₁ and 4s3d ¹ D ₂ states of Ca are determined to be 0.57±0.03 ms and 1.5±0.4 ms, respectively.     

Forbidden electric quadrupole transitions between even OIII levels

The relativistic CI method is used to determine transition probabilities for electric quadrupole transitions between the 1s ² 2s ² 2p ² (³ P ₀,³ P ₂,¹ D ₂) and 1s ² 2p ^{4 3} P ₂ even levels of OIII. The variation of the results with the number of configurations used is discussed, both for the Coulomb and the Babushkin (length) gauge.     

Bonding Analysis of Square-Antiprismatic and Fused Square-Antiprismatic Copper(I)-Selenium Clusters

The electronic structure of the Cu_2(4n+2)Se_4n+2(PH₃)₈ (n = 1–4) D _4h series of model clusters has been analyzed by means of density functional theory calculations. The fused square antiprismatic structure of the metal framework is found to be always preferred over the fused cuboctahedral one because it reinforces the Cu-P bonds. Thus, the presence of the terminal phosphine ligands tends to strengthen the Cu...Cu (d¹⁰...d¹⁰) bonding by mixing bonding combinations of the vacant Cu 4s and 4p orbitals into the occupied 3d combinations. The calculations indicate that the compounds corresponding to n = 3 and 4 should be easily two-electron-reduced, leading to stable dianionic species.     

Hydroxyl radical reactions with halogenated ethanols in aqueous solution: Kinetics and thermochemistry

Laser flash photolysis combined with competition kinetics with SCN^? as the reference substance has been used to determine the rate constants of OH radicals with three fluorinated and three chlorinated ethanols in water as a function of temperature. The following Arrhenius expressions have been obtained for the reactions of OH radicals with (1) 2‐fluoroethanol, k₁(T) = (5.7 ± 0.8) × 10¹¹ exp((?2047 ± 1202)/T) M^?1 s^?1, (2) 2,2‐difluoroethanol, k₂(T) = (4.5 ± 0.5) × 10⁹ exp((?855 ± 796)/T) M^?1 s^?1, (3) 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol, k₃(T) = (2.0 ± 0.1) × 10¹¹ exp((?2400 ± 790)/T) M^?1 s^?1, (4) 2‐chloroethanol, k₄(T) = (3.0 ± 0.2) × 10¹⁰ exp((?1067 ± 440)/T) M^?1 s^?1, (5) 2, 2‐dichloroethanol, k₅(T) = (2.1 ± 0.2) × 10¹⁰ exp((?1179 ± 517)/T) M^?1 s^?1, and (6) 2,2,2‐trichloroethanol, k₆(T) = (1.6 ± 0.1) × 10¹⁰ exp((?1237 ± 550)/T) M^?1 s^?1. All experiments were carried out at temperatures between 288 and 328 K and at pH = 5.5–6.5. This set of compounds has been chosen for a detailed study because of their possible environmental impact as alternatives to chlorofluorocarbon and hydrogen‐containing chlorofluorocarbon compounds in the case of the fluorinated alcohols and due to the demonstrated toxicity when chlorinated alcohols are considered. The observed rate constants and derived activation energies of the reactions are correlated with the corresponding bond dissociation energy (BDE) and ionization potential (IP), where the BDEs and IPs of the chlorinated ethanols have been calculated using quantum mechanical calculations. The errors stated in this study are statistical errors for a confidence interval of 95%. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 174–188, 2008     

Ethane cation decomposition characterization by EBMI spectroscopy: gas‐phase dissociative recombination as a source of secondary products

The decomposition products of the d₆‐ethane cation following charge‐transfer ionization with Ar⁺, under conditions of varying ionization electron current, have been isolated in solid argon matrices at 18 K and examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Gas samples containing 1 : 1600 d₆‐ethane : Ar were subjected to electron bombardment by using either a high (pin) or a low (plate) ionization density anode configuration with ionization currents between 20 and 150 μA. Under high ionization density conditions, the observed major products were d₄‐ethene (C₂D₄) and d₂‐acetylene (C₂D₂), with smaller yields of C₂D₅, C₂D₃, and C₂D. The yield of each dehydrogenation product was enhanced with increased current. Analogous experiments employing the low ionization density plate anode resulted in reduced C₂D₆ destruction and the formation of only C₂D₄ and C₂D₂. The results suggest the onset of dissociative recombination processes under high ion density conditions. In this context, the results can be interpreted as a dissociative recombination of primary ion products, which gives rise to further dehydrogenation, and appearance of additional neutral radical products. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Calculations of high lying energy resonances in the photoionization spectra of Ne+ using the screening constant by unit nuclear charge method

We report in this paper, energy resonances of the 2s²2p⁴ (¹D₂)ns,nd, 2s²2p⁴(¹S₀) ns,nd and 2s2p⁵ (³P₂)np series originating from both 2s²2p^{5 2}P_1/2 metastable and 2s²2p^{5 2}P_3/2 ground state of Ne⁺. Calculations are performed using the Screening Constant by Unit Nuclear Charge (SCUNC) method and high lying states up to n=75 are investigated. The results obtained in this work agree very well with Advanced Light Source experiments on Ne⁺ (Covington et al., 2002). The analysis of the present results is achieved by calculating the effective charge number in the framework of the SCUNC formalism and by evaluating the quantum defect from the standard quantum defect expansion formula. Both effective nuclear charge and quantum defect are almost constants up to n=75.     

Calculation of excited‐state ionization potential for boron‐like sequence

Excited‐state ionization potentials for boron‐like sequence with Z = 5–19 are studied systematically, using the weakest bound electron potential model theory (WBEPM theory) and iso‐spectrum‐level series conception. Nonrelativistic ionization energy is derived from the theory. Relativistic effects are included in the Breit–Pauli approximation. Comparison of the calculated excited‐state ionization potential with available experimental data is carried out for 1s²2s²2p ²P, 1s²2s²3s ²S_1/2, 1 s²2s²3p ²P, 1s²2s²3d ²D_5/2, 1s²2s²4d ²D_5/2, 1s²2s²5d ²D_5/2, and 1s²2s²6d ²D_5/2 series. The present results depart from experimental results by no more than 0.133 eV for all 81 results for which experimental data are available. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004     

Gaussian density-functional study for small neutral (Al n ), positive (Al n + ) and negative (Al n − ) aluminium clusters (n=2–5)

The structures and properties of Al _n , Al _n ⁺ , Al _n ^– (n=1,5) clusters have been investigated by using the Linear Combination of Gaussian Type Orbitals (LCGTO) method, considering Local (LSD) and Non Local (NLSD) Spin Density Approximations and employing a Model Core Potential (MCP) that allows the explicit treatment of 3s ² 3p ¹ valence electrons. For each system different geometrical structures and electronic states have been considered. For Al₃, Al ₃ ⁺ , Al ₃ ^– the most stable geometry proved to be the equilateral triangle (D _3h ). Al₄ and Al ₄ ⁺ prefer the rhombus (D _2h ) structure, while the corresponding anion prefers the square (D _4h ) one. The trapezoidal form (C _2v ) is the most stable isomer for Al₅, Al ₅ ⁺ and Al ₅ ^– clusters. The analysis of vibrational frequencies shows that these structures are minima in the potential energy surface. The binding energies (D _e), the adiabatic ionization potentials (IP) and electron affinities (EA), the chemical potentials or absolute hardnesses () and electronegativities () have been computed. Results are in good agreement with the available experimental data and the previous high level theoretical computations.     

Electron-pair radial density functions

We introduce and discuss a generalized electron-pair radial density function G(q; a) that represents the probability density for the electron-pair radius |r ₁+ar ₂| to be q, where a is a real-valued parameter. The density function G(q; a) is a projection of the two-electron radial density D ₂(r ₁, r ₂) along lines r ₁ + ar ₂ ± q = 0 in the r ₁ r ₂ plane onto a point in the qa plane, and connects three densities S(s), D(r), and T(t), defined independently in the literature, as a smooth function of a: For an N-electron (N ≥ 2) system, S(s) = G(s; + 1), D(r) = 2G(r; 0)/(N − 1), and T(t) = G(|t|;−1)/2, where S(s) and T(t) are the electron-pair radial sum and difference densities, respectively, and D(r) is the single-electron radial density. Simple illustrations are given for the helium atom in the ground 1s² and the first excited 1s2s ³S states.     

Structure of aluminum(III (μ-OXO)bis [phthalocyaninate]): A quantum chemical study

The quantum chemical (U)B3LYP/6-31G(d ₅,p) method is used to determine the structural parameters and ionization potentials of aluminum(III) (μ-oxo)bis[phthalocyaninate] and monophthalocyaninate PcAlCl. Two (PcAl)₂O structures with similar energies are obtained: an eclipsed high-symmetry (D _4h ) structure with a rectangular AlOAl group and a retarded low-symmetry (C _s ) structure with the AlOAl bond angle of 167.5°. The AlO bonds include a substantial π component. The energy needed for the detachment of two electrons from a free (PcAl)₂O molecule is 13.46 eV.     

Butterfly and chair clusters using N,O-chelating ligands: A combined crystallographic and mass spectrometric study

The organic ligand (1-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methanol (HL¹) was used to react with Cu(ClO₄)₂·6H₂O and triethylamine at 80°C to afford the complex [Cu₄(L¹)₆]·(ClO₄)₂·CH₃CN ( 1 ). Every four-coordinated Cu(II) ion is surrounded with NO₃ coordinated environment, and every five-coordinated Cu(II) ion is surrounded with N₂O₃ coordinated environment. Changing the metal salt to Zn(NO₃)₂·6H₂O, and after adding CH₃COONa, afforded the complex [Zn₄(L¹)₄(NO₃)₂(CH₃COO)₂] ( 2 ), in which every five-coordinated Zn(II) ion is surrounded with NO₄ coordinated environment. High-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry results revealed that complex 1 broke into the most stable fragment [Cu₂(L¹)₃]⁺, and it also can assemble high nuclear peaks in solution. For complex 2 , it was found that the complex exhibited different component distribution in solution. Not only were there substitutions between coordinated anions, but the high nuclear peaks could also be detected.     

Recombination of KrD and XeD ions with electrons

Recombination rate coefficients of protonated and deuterated ions KrH⁺, KrD⁺, XeH⁺ and XeD⁺ were measured using Flowing Afterglow with Langmuir Probe (FALP). Helium at 1600 Pa and at temperature 250 K was used as a buffer gas in the experiments. Kr, Xe, H₂ and D₂ were introduced to a flow tube to form the desired ions. Because of small differences in proton affinities of Kr, D₂ and H₂ mixtures of ions, KrD⁺/D₃⁺ and KrH⁺/H₃⁺ are formed in the afterglow plasma, influencing the plasma decay. To obtain a recombination rate coefficient for a particular ion, the dependencies on partial pressures of gases used in the ion formation were measured. The obtained rate coefficients, α_KrD+(250 K) = (0.9 ± 0.3) × 10⁻⁸ cm³ s⁻¹ and α_XeD+(250 K) = (8 ± 2) × 10⁻⁸ cm³ s⁻¹ are compared with α_KrH+(250 K) = (2.0 ± 0.6) × 10⁻⁸ cm³ s⁻¹ and α_XeH+(250 K) = (8 ± 2) × 10⁻⁸ cm³ s⁻¹.