The three-body dissociation dynamics of Cl2O at 248 and 193 nm

The photodissociation of Cl₂O has been studied at 248 and 193 nm using photofragment translational spectroscopy (PTS) experiments with tunable VUV photoionization detection. The sole products observed were Cl, O and ClO fragments. Based on the derived translational energy distributions for the ClO and Cl photofragments we conclude that at 248 nm 15% of Cl₂O excitation results in three-body dissociation. At 193 nm no Cl₂ fragments are observed and we conclude that the oxygen atoms arise solely from three-body dissociation. Dissociation geometries derived from forward convolution fitting suggest two qualitatively distinct three-body dissociation pathways: asymmetric concerted dissociation and symmetric concerted dissociation in agreement with recent theoretical predictions.     

二氯甲醛的光解离反应-三体协同非同步解离机理的第一个理论证据

用CASSCF以及B3LYP和MP2从头算方法，研究了Cl_2CO的基态，最低激发单态和 三态S_0，S_1，T_1的热能剖面。结果表明，Cl_2CO光分解为Cl + Cl + CO，这一 反应是通过协同非同步的机理实现的。就目前所知，本研究关于二氯甲醛光解离反 应的研究提供了三体协同非同步解离的第一个理论证据。     

Ultraviolet Photodissociation Dynamics of DNCO+hv→D+NCO: Two Competitive Pathways

Photodissociation dynamics of DNCO+hv→D+NCO at photolysis wavelengths between 200 and 235 nm have been studied using the D-atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight technique. Product translational energy distributions and angular distributions have been determined. Nearly statistical distribution of the product translational energy with nearly isotropic angular distribution was observed at 210-235 nm, which may come from the predissociation pathway of internal conversion from S₁ to S₀ state followed by decomposition on S₀ surface. At shorter photolysis wavelengths, in addition to the statistical distribution, another feature with anisotropic angular distribution appears at high translational energy region, which can be attributed to direct dissociation on S₁ surface. Compared with HNCO, the direct dissociation pathway for DNCO photodissociation opens at higher excitation energy. According to our assignment of the NCO internal energy distribution, dominantly bending and a little stretching excited NCO was produced via both dissociation pathways.     

Two- and three-body photodissociation of gas phase I(3) (-)

The photodissociation dynamics of I3- from 390 to 290 nm (3.18 to 4.28 eV) have been investigated using fast beam photofragment translational spectroscopy in which the products are detected and analyzed with coincidence imaging. At photon energies < or = 3.87 eV, two-body dissociation that generates I- + I2(A 3Pi1) and vibrationally excited I2- (X 2Sigmau+) + I(2P(3/2)) is observed, while at energies > or = 3.87 eV, I*(2P(1/2)) + I2- (X 2Sigmau+) is the primary two-body dissociation channel. In addition, three-body dissociation yielding I- +2I(2P(3/2)) photofragments is seen throughout the energy range probed; this is the dominant channel at all but the lowest photon energy. Analysis of the three-body dissociation events indicates that this channel results primarily from a synchronous concerted decay mechanism.     

Photodissociation of uracil

We investigate the photochemistry and photodissociation dynamics of uracil by two-colour photofragment Doppler spectroscopy and by two-colour slice imaging at excitation wavelengths between 268 and 235 nm. We observe the loss of a hydrogen atom upon excitation into the pipi* state. The angular distribution indicates a statistical process, while the translational energy distribution agrees with a dissociation that takes place on the electronic ground state. The pipi* state most likely deactivates via the lower-lying npi* state. In addition there is evidence for a second pathway: direct decay of the pipi* state to the electronic ground state with subsequent dissociation. Experiments on uracil-1,3-D(2) show that there is no site selectivity in the dissociation process. No evidence was found for the direct dissociation via a pisigma* excited state that seems to be relevant in the photochemistry of adenine and many other heterocyclic molecules. Overall, the photochemistry of uracil is similar to that of thymine.     

Concerted and sequential Coulomb explosion processes of N2O in intense laser fields by coincidence momentum imaging

The Coulomb explosion dynamics of N2O in intense laser fields (800 nm, 60 fs, approximately 0.16 PWcm2) is studied by the coincidence momentum imaging method. From the momentum correlation maps obtained for the three-body fragmentation pathway, N2O3+-->N++N++O+, the ultrafast structural deformation dynamics of N2O prior to the Coulomb explosion is extracted. It is revealed that the internuclear N-N and N-O distances stretch simultaneously as the bond angle less than approximately N-N-O decreases. In addition, two curved thin distributions are identified in the momentum correlation maps, and are interpreted well as those originating from the sequential dissociation pathway, N2O3+-->N++NO2+-->N++N++O+.     

Two- and three-body photodissociation dynamics of diiodobromide (I2Br-) anion

The photodissociation of gas-phase I(2)Br(-) was investigated using fast beam photofragment translational spectroscopy. Anions were photodissociated from 300 to 270 nm (4.13-4.59 eV) and the recoiling photofragments were detected in coincidence by a time- and position-sensitive detector. Both two- and three-body channels were observed throughout the energy range probed. Analysis of the two-body dissociation showed evidence for four distinct channels: Br(-) + I(2), I(-) + IBr, Br+I(2) (-), and I + IBr(-). In three-body dissociation, Br((2)P(3∕2)) + I((2)P(3∕2)) + I(-) and Br(-) + I((2)P(3∕2)) + I((2)P(3∕2)) were produced primarily from a concerted decay mechanism. A sequential decay mechanism was also observed and attributed to Br(-)((1)S)+I(2)(B(3)Π(0u) (+)) followed by predissociation of I(2)(B).     

Ion imaging studies of ClONO2 photodissociation: Primary branching ratios and secondary dissociation

The photodissociation dynamics of ClONO₂ at 235 nm has been reinvestigated using velocity map ion imaging. We report branching ratios for the Cl + NO₃ and ClO + NO₂ channels to be 0.49:0.51 with anisotropy parameters of β = 0.5 ± 0.1 and β = −0.1 ± 0.3 for the Cl and ClO production channels, respectively. Photodissociation at 248 nm and 262 nm results in similar branching ratios and dynamics as observed at 235 nm. Measured O(³P₂) images arising from ClONO₂ dissociation at 226 nm suggest that oxygen atoms result from the spontaneous dissociation of metastable NO₃. The quantum yield of O atoms arising from the spontaneous dissociation of NO₃ varies from 0.09 at 262 to 0.38 at 235 nm based on the derived internal energy distributions of the NO₃ fragments. We also describe a Monte-Carlo forward-convolution fitting of imaging data which permits detailed analysis of both spontaneous secondary dissociation and secondary photodissociation.     

Photodissociation and photoionization of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid at 193 and 355 nm

Photodissociation and photoionization of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (25DHBA), at 193 and 355 nm were investigated separately in a molecular beam using multimass ion imaging techniques. Two channels competed after excitation by one 193 nm photon. One channel is dissociation from the repulsive excited state along O-H bond distance, resulting in H atom elimination from meta-OH functional group. The other channel is internal conversion to the ground state, followed by H(2)O elimination. Some of the fragments further proceeded to secondary dissociation. On the other hand, absorption of one 355 nm photon gave rise to H(2)O elimination channel on the ground state. Absorption of more than one 355 nm photon resulted in the three-body dissociation which also occurs on the ground state. Dissociation on the excited state does not play a role at 355 nm. The large concentration ratio (2×10(5)), between neutral fragments and cations produced from 355 nm multiphoton excitation indicates that internal conversion followed by dissociation, is the major channel for 355 nm multiphoton excitation. Multiphoton ionization is a minor channel. Multiphoton ionization of 25DHBA clusters only produces 25DHBA cations. Neither anion nor protonated 25DHBA cation were observed. It is very different from the ions produced from solid matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), experiments. This suggests that protonated 25DHBA and negatively charged 25DHBA generated in MALDI experiments does not simply result from the ionization following proton transfer reactions or charge transfer reactions of the clusters in the gas phase.     

Photodissociation Dynamics of Dichlorodifluoromethane (CF2Cl2) around 235 nm using Time-Sliced Velocity Map Imaging Technology

Photodissociation dynamics of dichlorodifluoromethane (CF₂Cl₂) around 235 nm has been studied using the time-sliced velocity map imaging technology in combination with the resonance enhanced multi-photon ionization technology. By measuring the raw images of chlorine atoms which are formed via one-photon dissociation of CF₂Cl₂, the speed and angular distributions can be directly obtained. The speed distribution of excited-state chlorine atoms consists of high translation energy (E_T) and low E_T components, which are related to direct dissociation on ³Q₀ state and predissociation on the ground state induced by internal conversion, respectively. The speed distribution of ground-state chlorine atoms also consists of high E_T and low E_T components which are related to predissociation between ³Q₀ and ¹Q₁ states and predissociation on the ground state induced by internal conversion, respectively. Radical dissociation channel is confirmed, nevertheless, secondary dissociation and three-body dissociation channels are excluded.     

A two-dimensional wavepacket study of the nonadiabatic dynamics of CH2BrCl

The nonadiabatic photodissociation dynamics of CH2BrCl into CH2Br + Cl or CH2Cl + Br is studied using two-dimensional wavepacket propagations on ab initio multiconfigurational MS-CASPT2 potential energy surfaces. Using a three-state diabatic model, we investigate the electronic states responsible for the two competing fragmentation channels and how the conical intersection present between the two lowest excited states affects the dissociation rate. Within this model, we find that the Br/Cl branching ratio depends on the irradiation wavelength. Predominant C-Br fragmentation occurs for wavelengths longer than 200 nm, while nonadiabatic C-Cl dissociation with a constant branching ratio of 0.4 is predicted upon absorption of photons in the range of 170-180 nm. Additionally, we observe complete nonadiabatic population transfer in less than 100 fs, that is, before the wavepacket can reach the conical intersection. As a consequence, there is no three-body CH2 + Br + Cl dissociation.     

The photodissociation dynamics of tetrachloroethylene

We present a direct current slice imaging study of tetrachloroethylene (C(2)Cl(4)) photodissociation, probing the resulting ground state Cl ((2)P(3/2)) and spin-orbit excited state Cl* ((2)P(1/2)) products. We report photofragment images, total translational energy distributions and the product branching ratio of Cl*/Cl following dissociation at 235 and 202 nm, obtained using a two-color reduced-Doppler dissociation/probe. Near 235 nm, the Cl translational energy distribution shows a peak at the limit of the available energy, indicating a direct dissociation through a σ*(C-Cl) ← π (C=C) transition, which is superimposed on a broader underlying distribution. The ground state Cl image and associated translational energy distribution at 202 nm is broad and peaked at lower energy, suggesting either internal conversion to the ground state or a lower excited state prior to dissociation. The Cl* images are similarly broad at both wavelengths. The branching ratio is presented as a function of recoil energy, but after integration shows a near-statistical average of Cl:Cl* as 70:30 at both wavelengths. All the images are largely isotropic, with anisotropy parameters (β) of 0.05 ± 0.03.     

Three-body dissociation dynamics of (SO2)3 studied through dissociative photodetachment of (SO2)3−

The dissociative photodetachment dynamics of (SO₂)₃⁻ were studied by photoelectron–photofragment coincidence spectroscopy at 258 nm. Correlation between the photoelectron and photofragment translational energies was observed as previously seen in the dimer system, implying the presence of a dimer core. The three-body dissociation dynamics of (SO₂)₃ after photodetachment are consistent with a dimer core solvated by a spectator SO₂ molecule with a broad distribution in initial geometry.     

Formation of the CH fragment in the 193 nm photodissociation of CHCl

The CH fragment from the 193 nm photodissociation of CHCl is observed in a molecular beam experiment. This fragment is formed in the higher-energy dissociation pathway, the lower pathway involving formation of CCl. Both the CHCl parent molecule and the CH fragment were detected by laser-induced fluorescence. The 193 nm CHCl absorption cross section was estimated from the reduction of the CHCl signal as a function of the photolysis laser fluence. The CH internal state distribution was derived from the analysis of laser-induced fluorescence spectra of the A-X Deltav=0 sequence. A modest degree of rotational excitation was found in the CH fragment; the most probable rotational level is N=1, but the distribution has a tail extending to N>25. Also observed is a slight preference for formation of Lambda-doublets of A(") symmetry, which appears to increase with increasing rotational angular momentum N. Vibrationally excited CH was observed, and the degree of vibrational excitation was found to be low. The energy available to the photofragments is predominantly released as translational excitation. The preferential formation of A(") Lambda-doublets suggests that dissociation occurs through a nonlinear excited state.     

Theoretical study on the potential energy surface and vibrational energy levels of HXeI

The potential energy surface for the electronic ground state of the HXeI molecule is constructed by using the internally contracted multi-reference configuration interaction with the Davidson correction（icMRCI＋Q）method and large basis sets. The stabilities and dissociation barriers are identified from the potential energy surfaces.The three-body dissociation channel is found to be the dominate dissociation channel for HXeI.Based on the obtained potentials,vibrational energy levels of HXeI are calculated using the Lanczos algorithm.Our theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the available observed values.     

Roaming dynamics in acetone dissociation

DC slice imaging has been employed to study the photodissociation dynamics of acetone at 230 nm, with detection of the CO photoproduct via the B (v' = 0) (1)Sigma(+) <-- X (v' = 0) (1)Sigma(+) transition. A bimodal translational energy distribution observed in the CO fragments points to two distinct dissociation pathways in the 230 nm photolysis of acetone. One pathway results in substantial translational energy release (E(ave) approximately 0.3 eV) along with rather high rotational excitation (up to J' = 50) of CO, and is attributed to the thoroughly investigated stepwise mechanism of bond cleavage in acetone. The other dissociation pathway leads to rotationally cold CO (J' = 0-20) with very little energy partitioned into translation (E(ave) approximately 0.04 eV) and in this way it is dynamically similar to the recently reported roaming mechanism found in formaldehyde and acetaldehyde dissociation. We ascribe the second dissociation pathway to an analogous roaming dissociation mechanism taking place on the ground electronic state following internal conversion. For acetone, this would imply highly vibrationally excited ethane as a coproduct of rotationally cold CO, with the ethane formed above the threshold for secondary decomposition. We estimate that about 15% of the total CO fragments are produced through the roaming pathway. Rotational populations were obtained using a new Doppler-free method that simply relies on externally masking the phosphor screen under velocity map conditions in such a way that only the products with no velocity component along the laser propagation direction are detected.     

Bond-selective photodissociation of aliphatic disulfides

The photochemistry of aliphatic disulfides is presented. The photolysis products are photoionized with coherent vacuum ultraviolet radiation and analyzed by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. With 248-nm excitation, the predominant dissociation pathway is S—S bond cleavage. With 193-nm excitation, S—S bond cleavage, C—S bond cleavage, and molecular rearrangements are all observed as primary processes. The branching ratio for S—S bond cleavage relative to C—S bond cleavage is typically 1–2 orders of magnitude greater at 248 run than 193 run. This wavelength dependence cannot be explained readily by photodissociation from the ground electronic state. The ground state S—S bond energy, ～ 280 kJ/mol, is much larger than the C—S bond energy, ～ 235 kJ/mol. If dissociation occurred from the ground state, higher wavelength radiation would be expected to favor the lower energy process, but the opposite effect is observed. Thus, excited state photochemistry is indicated. These results are discussed with respect to the differences between low and high energy collision-induced dissociation of peptides that contain disulfide linkages and to the possibility of achieving bond-selective photodissociation of such ions.     

Unraveling complex three-body photodissociation dynamics of dimethyl sulfoxide: a femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopic study

Photodissociation of dimethyl sulfoxide at 200 nm has been studied using femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy. The temporal evolutions of the initial state, intermediates, and products (CH3 and SO) were measured by means of fs pump-probe mass-selected multiphoton ionization and laser-induced fluorescence. Femtosecond time-resolved photofragment translational spectroscopy was also employed to measure the CH3 product kinetic energy distributions as a function of reaction time. The ionization experiments revealed that there are at least three major CH3 product components, whereas the fluorescence experiments indicated that two SO product components are present. The combination of experimental and theoretical results suggested a complex multichannel mechanism involving both concerted and stepwise three-body dissociation pathways.     

He(23S1)、Ne(3P0,2)与NH3的传能动力学

在分子束条件下利用化学发光技术研究了亚稳态惰性气体原子He（23S1）和Ne（3P0，2）与NH3碰撞的解离激发反应．He（23S1）与NH3的反应中观察到NH（A－X，c－a，c－b），NH＋（B－X）和H*－Balmer发射．对NH（A－X，c－a）的谱图进行了拟合．分析NH（c－b）谱发现NH（c）倾向于生成具有f对称性的转动能级，NH3可能是经由一个NH2中间体分两步解离，这与121．6nm光解NH3时的倾向性正好相反．利用参比反应测得生成NH（A，c）的速度为k＝1．0×10－11cm3•s－1．He（23S1）与NH3生成的NH（A，v’＝1）的转动激发比v’＝0时要高，根据含角动量守恒的相空间理论，其生成过程可能具有较大的解离半碰撞参数．Ne（3P0，2）与NH3反应只有NH（A－X，c－a）发射，NH（A，c）的振转布居可由简单相空间理论三体解离模式解释．     

Position matters: competing O-H and N-H photodissociation pathways in hydroxy- and methoxy-substituted indoles

H (Rydberg) atom photofragment translational spectroscopy (HRA-PTS) and complete active space with second order perturbation theory (CASPT2) methods have been used to explore the competing N-H and O-H bond dissociation pathways of 4- and 5-hydroxyindoles (HI) and methoxyindoles (MI). When 4-HI was excited to bound (1)L(b) levels, (λ(phot) ≤ 284.893 nm) O-H bond fission was demonstrated by assignment of the structure within the resulting total kinetic energy release (TKER) spectra. By analogy with phenol, dissociation was deduced to occur by H atom tunnelling under the barrier associated with the lower diabats of the (1)L(b)/(1)πσ*((OH)) conical intersection (CI). No evidence was found for a significant N-H bond dissociation yield at these or shorter excitation wavelengths (284.893 ≥ λ(phot) ≥ 193.3 nm). Companion studies of 4-MI revealed different reaction dynamics. In this case, N-H bond fission is deduced to occur at λ(phot) ≤ 271.104 nm, by direct excitation to the (1)πσ*((NH)) state. Analysis of the measured TKER spectra implies a mechanism wherein, as in pyrrole, the (1)πσ*((NH)) state gains oscillator strength by intensity borrowing from nearby bound states with higher oscillator strengths. HRA-PTS studies of 5-HI, in contrast, showed no evidence for O-H bond dissociation when excited on (1)L(b) levels. The present CASPT2 calculations assist in rationalizing this observation: the area underneath the (1)L(b)/(1)πσ* CI diabats in 5-HI is ~60% greater than the corresponding area in 4-HI and O-H bond dissociation by tunnelling is thus much less probable. Only by reducing the wavelength to ≤ 255 nm were signs of N-H and/or O-H bond dissociation identified. By comparison with companion 5-MI studies, we deduce little O-H bond fission in 5-HI at λ(phot) > 235 nm and that N-H bond fission is the dominant source of H atoms in the wavelength region 255 > λ(phot) > 235 nm. The very different dissociation dynamics of 4- and 5-HI are traced to the position of the -OH substituent, and its effect on the overall electronic structure.