The A 1Sigmau+ state of K2 up to the dissociation limit

We report an experimental study of the K(2) A (1)Sigma(u) (+) state. Long-range levels up to the dissociation limit were observed in a two laser spectroscopic experiment using a highly collimated molecular beam. We derive an analytical potential energy curve for the complete A state including long-range dispersion terms. From these, we obtain radiative atomic lifetimes of 26.74(3) ns for the 4p(1/2) state and 26.39(3) ns for the 4p(3/2) state of (39)K. The dissociation energy of the X (1)Sigma(g) (+) ground state with respect to v=0, J=0 is found to be D(0)=4404.808(4) cm(-1).     

Hyperspherical nuclear motion of H3 + and D3 + in the electronic triplet state, a 3Sigmau +

The potential energy surface of H(3) (+) in the lowest electronic triplet state, a (3)Sigma(u) (+), shows three equivalent minima at linear nuclear configurations. The vibrational levels of H(3) (+) and D(3) (+) on this surface can therefore be described as superimposed linear molecule states. Owing to such a superposition, each vibrational state characterized by quantum numbers of an isolated linear molecule obtains a one- and a two-dimensional component. The energy splittings between the two components have now been rationalized within a hyperspherical picture. It is shown that nuclear motion along the hyperangle phi mainly accounts for the splittings and provides upper bounds. This hyperspherical motion can be considered an extension of the antisymmetric stretching motion of the individual linear molecule.     

A DFT study of the ground state of the N3 radical

The X² Π_g ground state of the N₃ radical has been studied by means of the DFT approach with inclusion of nonlocal (gradient) terms. Many different Gaussian basis sets of increasing quality, from small split-shell type up to the TZPP class, have been used. For each of the basis sets, the experimentally known linear symmetric conformation has been optimized using the analytical gradient technique and the vibrational fundamentals have been calculated in the harmonic approximation using the numerical Hessian. For comparison, the standard UHF-type calculations have also been performed. Despite the fact that the Kohn-Sham equations have been resolved in the spin- and symmetryunrestricted manner, the nonlocal version of DFT is able to describe correctly the geometric properties and vibrational spectrum of this open-shell degenerate state, provided that a good quality polarized basis set is used. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Experimental lifetime of the metastable 5D 3/2 state in Ba+

A discrepancy exists between theoretical and experimental lifetimes of the metastable 5D _3/2 state in Ba⁺. In order to redertermine that lifetime, we probe the population of the metastable 5D _3/2 state of a Ba⁺ ion cloud stored in a Paul ion trap in the presence of He buffer gas as the function of time delay after pulsed laser excitation of this state. The measured decay rates at different buffer gas pressures are extrapolated to zero pressure and we obtain a radiative decay time of 48.0±5.9 s. This is not in agreement with theoretical predictions of about 80 s, but reduces the discrepancy from a previously reportet experimental value of 17.5 s. If the possibility of finestructure mixing to an adjacent 5D _5/2 level by collisions is considered our value represents a lower limit of the radiative lifetime for the 5D _3/2 state.     

Photodissociation dynamics of N2O at 130 nm: the N2(A 3Sigmau +,B 3Pig)+O(3PJ = 2,1,0) channels

Oxygen Rydberg time-of-flight spectroscopy was used to study the vacuum ultraviolet photodissociation dynamics of N(2)O near 130 nm. The O((3)P(J)) products were tagged by excitation to high-n Rydberg levels and subsequently field ionized at a detector. In agreement with previous work, we find that O((3)P(J)) formation following excitation to the repulsive N(2)O D((1)Sigma(+)) state produces the first two electronically excited states of the N(2) counterfragment, N(2)(A (3)Sigma(u) (+)) and N(2)(B (3)Pi(g)). The O((3)P(J)) translational energy distribution reveals that the overall branching ratio between N(2)(A (3)Sigma(u) (+)) and N(2)(B (3)Pi(g)) formation is approximately 1.0:1.0 for J = 1 and 2, with slightly less N(2)(B (3)Pi(g)) produced in coincidence with O((3)P(0)). The angular distributions were found to be independent of J and highly anisotropic, with beta = 1.5+/-0.2.     

The lifetime of the (μHe) 2S + metastable state in helium gas

The ion-clustering mechanism of the quenching of the metastable 2S-state of the muonic helium ion (μHe) _2S ⁺ in gaseous helium is studied on the basis of quantum-chemical calculations of clusters He _n (μHe)⁺. It is shown that the quenching rates do not depend on the cluster ordern atn ≥ 2. In the helium gas at the pressure 0.1 ?p(atm) ? 10 the quenching of (μHe) _2S ⁺ proceeds, mainly, at the vibrationally excited levels of He(μHe) _2S ⁺ cluster, while atp ? 10 atm, at the ground vibrational state of the cluster He₂(μHe) _2S ⁺ . Atp ≥0.1 atm the calculated quenching rates agree with the recent experimental data.     

Study of the B"B 1Sigmau+ state of H2: transition probabilities from the ground state, dissociative widths, and Fano parameters

The transition probabilities, the dissociation widths, and the associated Fano parameters for rovibronic lines with J"=0,...,3 of the absorption bands of the B"B 1Sigmau+ state out of the X 1Sigmag+ v"=0 ground state were measured over the complete vibrational progression, showing clearly that only the inner-well state with B" 4psigma character can absorb vuv light and predissociate efficiently. The absolute values of these transition probablities, predissociation widths, and Fano parameters were found to agree well with ab initio calculations if one takes into account that the calculations neglect nonadiabatic couplings.     

The flourescence lifetime of the benzyl radical

Time resolved fluorescence of the benzyl, monomethylbenzyl and dimethylbenzyl radicals strapped in rigid solvents at low temperatures has been observed using the second harmonic of the ruby laser at the exciting source. The fluorescence lifetimes of these radicals are very long (10^?7–10^?6 sec), which are influenced considerably by the methyl substituents. The long fluorescence lifetimes of the benzyl radical and its methyl derivatives are interpreted in terms of the forbidden character of the first doublet-doublet electronic transition.     

New Rydberg-Rydberg transitions in N2. Identification of the d3 1Sigmag+ state

Use of a special Penning-ionization source allowed Fourier-transform recording of two previously nonobserved IR emission bands spectra at 5480 and 7630 cm(-1) arising from neutral N(2). The first of these bands is the c(4) (') (1)Sigma(u) (+)-a(") (1)Sigma(g) (+) (0,0) transition, both states involved being previously known by direct vacuum (UV) absorption spectroscopy. The second band corresponds to a d(3) (1)Sigma(g) (+)-c(4) (') (1)Sigma(u) (+) (0,0) transition, in which the upper level belongs to an up to now unidentified Rydberg state. Both the upper and lower levels are perturbed by neighboring valence state levels.     

Theory of the radiative lifetime of the 3B1 state of SO2

Interchange and many-body perturbation theory are applied to the calculation of the radiative lifetime of the ³B₁ state of SO₂. The radiative lifetime of ³B₁ SO₂ is predicted to be 7.6 msec, in excellent agreement with the experimental collision-free phosphorescence lifetime. As a separate calculation, interchange perturbation theory is used to determine the radiative lifetime of the ¹A₁ state of CH₂.     

HNNC radical and its role in the CH+N2 reaction

A previously unreported channel in the spin-allowed reaction path for the CH+N2 reaction that involves the HNNC radical is presented. The structures and energetics of the HNNC radical and its isomers HCNN and HNCN and the relevant intermediates and transition states that are involved in the proposed mechanism are obtained at the coupled cluster singles and doubles level of theory with noniterative triples correction (CCSD(T)) using a converging series of basis sets aug-cc-pVDZ, aug-cc-pVTZ, and aug-cc-pVQZ. The aug-cc-pVQZ basis is used for all the final single point energy calculations using the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ optimized geometries. We find the HNNC radical to have a heat of formation of DeltafH0 (HNNC)=116.5 kcal mol(-1). An assessment of the quality of computed data of the radical species HNCN and HCNN is presented by comparison with the available experimental data. We find that HNNC can convert to HNCN, the highest barrier in this path being 14.5 kcal mol(-1) above the energy of the CH+N2 reactants. Thus, HNNC can play a role in the high-temperature spin-allowed mechanism for the reaction of CH+N2 proposed by Moskaleva, Xia, and Lin (Chem. Phys. Lett. 2000, 331, 269).     

The radiative lifetime of the A1II state of BH

Second-order polarization propagator calculations of the X¹Σ⁺ → A¹II transition moment as well as the radiative lifetime of the A¹II state of BH are reported. The calculated vibrational lifetimes are τ(v′ = 0) = 121 ns, τ(v′ = 1) = 129 ns, and τ(v′ = 2) = 137 ns. The τ(v′ = 0 lifetime agrees with the most recent experiment of τ(v′ = 0) = 125 ± 5 ns. We show that the electronic oscillator strength computed at the ground state equilibrium is rather different from the band absorption oscillator strength f₀₀, which demonstrates that theoretical electronic oscillator strengths should not be expected to agree with experimentally determined band oscillator strengths.     

Persistence rewarded: successful observation of the B 2Sigmau+-X 2Pig electronic transition of jet-cooled BS2

The B-X electronic transition of jet-cooled BS2 has been observed using laser-induced fluorescence techniques. The boron disulfide radical was produced in a pulsed electric discharge jet using a mixture of BCl3 and CS2 in high-pressure argon as the precursor. The spectrum consists of a strong 0(0)(0) band with the 2Sigma-2Pi(3/2) component at 24,393.2 cm(-1) and short progressions in the symmetric stretching (nu1' = 506.7 cm(-1)) and bending (nu2' = 303.2 cm(-1)) modes. A rotational analysis of both spin-orbit components of the 0(0)(0) band gave an upper state B value of 0.0932779(19) cm(-1) and a ground-state spin-orbit coupling constant of A = -405.163(4) cm(-1). The ground-state bond length of 1.66492 angstroms increases to 1.6812(1) angstroms on sigmau --> pig electronic excitation. The B-X data have been used to further refine the Renner-Teller analysis, which is in good agreement with our previous work [J. Chem. Phys. 119, 2047 (2003)].     

Measurement of the rotational energy distribution of ground state N+2 ions from H+2N2 collisions by laser-induced fluorescence

The rotational energy distribution of ground state N⁺₂ ions produced by interaction of a principally H⁺₂ ion beam with N₂ has been measured at projectile ion energies of 10 and 2.5 keV by observation of the laser induced fluorescence in the N⁺₂ first negative system (0, 0) band. At 10 keV, the rotational energy distribution is Boltzmann (432 K), due to heating of the gas by the intense ion beam. At 2.5 keV, rotational excitation is definitely observed.     

Ionization of O3 in Excess N2: A New Route to N2O via Intermediate N2O3+ Complexes

No Abstract     

A spectroscopic study of the equilibrium NO2 + NO3 + M 2 N2O5 + M and the kinetics of the O3/N2O5/NO3/NO2/ air system

The equilibrium constant, K_eq of the reaction NO₂ + NO₃ + M 2 N₂O₅ + M has been determined for a small range of temperatures around room temperature in air at 740 torr by direct spectroscopical measurements of NO₂, NO₃, and N₂O₅. At 298 K, K_eq was determined as (3.73 ± 0.61) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹. Averaging this and 11 other independent evaluations of K_eq yields K_eq = (3.31 ± 0.82) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹, where the uncertainty is given as one standard deviation. The kinetics of the O₃/NO₂/N₂O₅/NO₃/ air system was studied in a static chamber at room temperature and 740 torr total pressure. Evidence of a unimolecular decay reaction of NO₃, NO₃ → NO + O₂, was found and its rate coefficient was estimated as (1.6 ± 0.7) × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ at 295 ± 2 K.     

Application of RRKM theory to the reactions OH + NO2 + N2 → HONO2 + N2 (1) and ClO + NO2 + N2 → ClONO2 + N2 (2); a modified gorin model transition state

Rate constants as a function of both temperature and pressure were calculated for the title reactions using RRKM theory in conjunction with a modified Gorin transition state. The modification introduces a hindrance parameter which accounts for repulsive interactions between the rotating fragments. At the highest stratospheric pressures (～50 torr) and at stratospheric temperature (～220°K), the extent of “falloff” from first-order [N₂] dependence is ～70% for reaction (1) and ～35% for reaction (2).     

Evidence for the production of N4 via the N2 A3Sigma(u)+ + N2 A3Sigma(u)+ energy pooling reaction

We report mass spectrometric evidence supporting our proposed mechanistic pathway for the production of N4 through the energy pooling reaction N2 A3Sigma(u)+ + N2 A3Sigma(u)+. N2 A3Sigma(u)+ is generated from the quenching of resonantly excited xenon in a mixture of xenon, 15N2, and 14N2 that is illuminated with xenon resonant lamps (147 nm). Mass spectra are periodically taken of the mixture. Over time, we observe significant isotopic scrambling of the 15N2 and 14N2, generating 15N14N in concentrations approaching 10% (approximately 2 Torr) of the initial 15N2 concentration. Though we do not observe the direct formation of N4, the isotopic ratios indicate that an excited complex (15N2(14)N2) exists long enough so that scrambling of the nitrogen atoms can occur, offering a possible route to the formation of tetrahedral nitrogen (1Td N4).