A theoretical and experimental investigation of the formation of S 2 - from CS2 by electron impact

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the formation of S ₂ ^- from CS₂ by electron impact has been carried out. Molecular orbital calculations show that some of the low lying states of CS ₂ ^- have lower potential energy in the bent geometries suggesting a transformation in the geometric structure of the precursor molecular ion, leading to the formation of S ₂ ^- . In contrast to the formation of S ₂ ^- and S ₂ ^- , the kinetic energy associated with S ₂ ^- is small and disproportionate to the increase in electron energy, indicating the formation of S ₂ ^- in vibrationally excited states due to the mechanism of its formation.