Ab initio/Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus study of the singlet C4H4 potential energy surface and of the reactions of C2(X1 Sigmag+) with C4H4(X1A1g) and C(1D) with C3H4 (allene and methylacetylene)

Ab initio modified Gaussian-2 G2M(RCC,MP2) calculations have been performed for various isomers and transition states on the singlet C4H4 potential energy surface. The computed relative energies and molecular parameters have then been used to calculate energy-dependent rate constants for different isomerization and dissociation processes in the C4H4 system employing Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory and to predict branching ratios of possible products of the C2(1Sigmag+)+C2H4, C(1D)+H2CCCH2, and C(1D)+H3CCCH reactions under single-collision conditions. The results show that C2 adds to the double C=C bond of ethylene without a barrier to form carbenecyclopropane, which then isomerizes to butatriene by a formal C2 "insertion" into the C-C bond of the C2H4 fragment. Butatriene can rearrange to the other isomers of C4H4, including allenylcarbene, methylenecyclopropene, vinylacetylene, methylpropargylene, cyclobutadiene, tetrahedrane, methylcyclopropenylidene, and bicyclobutene. The major decomposition products of the chemically activated C4H4 molecule formed in the C2(1Sigmag+)+C2H4 reaction are calculated to be acetylene+vinylidene (48.6% at Ecol = 0) and 1-buten-3-yne-2-yl radical [i-C4H3(X2A'), H2C=C=C=CH*]+H (41.3%). As the collision energy increases from 0 to 10 kcal/mol, the relative yield of i-C4H3+H grows to 52.6% and that of C2H2+CCH2 decreases to 35.5%. For the C(1D)+allene reaction, the most important products are also i-C4H3+H (55.2%) and C2H2+CCH2 (30.1%), but for C(1D)+methylacetylene, which accesses a different region of the C4H4 singlet potential energy surface, the calculated product branching ratios differ significantly: 65%-69% for i-C4H3+H, 18%-14% for C2H2+CCH2, and approximately 8% for diacetylene+H2.     

F-loss and H-loss dissociations in low-lying electronic states of the CH3F+ ion studied using multiconfiguration second-order perturbation theory

Complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and multiconfiguration second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) calculations with an atomic natural orbital basis were performed for the 1(2)A', 1(2)A', 2(2)A', 2(2)A', and 3(2)A' (X2E, A2A1, and B2E) states of the CH3F+ ion. The 1(2)A' state is predicted to be the ground state, and the C(s)-state energy levels are different from those of the CH3Cl+ ion. The 2(2)A' (A2A1) state is predicted to be repulsive, and the calculated adiabatic excitation energies for 2(2)A' and 3(2)A' are very close to the experimental value for the B state. The CASPT2//CASSCF potential energy curves (PECs) were calculated for F-loss dissociation from the five C(s) states and H-loss dissociation from the 1(2)A', 1(2)A', and 2(2)A' states. The electronic states of the CH3+ and CH2F+ ions as the dissociation products were carefully determined by checking the energies and geometries of the asymptote products, and appearance potentials for the two ions in different states are predicted. The F-loss PEC calculations for CH3F+ indicate that F-loss dissociation occurs from the 1(2)A', 1(2)A', and 2(2)A' states [all correlating with CH3+(X1A1')], which supports the experimental observations of direct dissociation from the X and A states, and that direct F-loss dissociation can occur from the two Jahn-Teller component states of B2E, 2(2)A' and 3(2)A' [correlating with CH3+(1(3)A') and CH3+(1(3)A'), respectively]. Some aspects of the 3(2)A' Cl-loss PEC of the CH3Cl+ ion are inferred on the basis of the calculation results for CH3F+. The H-loss PEC calculations for CH3F+ indicate that H-loss dissociation occurs from the 1(2)A', 1(2)A', and 2(2)A' states [correlating with CH2F+(1(3)A'), CH2F+(X1A1), and CH2F+(1(1)A'), respectively], which supports the observations of direct dissociation from the X and B states. As the 2(2)A' H-loss PEC of CH3Cl+, the 2(2)A' H-loss PEC of CH3F+ does not lead to H + CH2X+, but the PECs of the two ions represent different types of reactions.     

Potential energy surface and product branching ratios for the reaction of dicarbon, C(2)(X(1)Sigma(g)(+)), with methylacetylene, CH(3)CCH(X(1)A(1)): an ab initio/RRKM study

Ab initio calculations of the potential energy surface for the C(2)(X(1)Sigma(g)(+)) + CH(3)CCH(X(1)A(1)) reaction have been carried at the G2M level of theory. The calculations show that the dicarbon molecule in the ground singlet electronic state can add to methylacetylene without a barrier producing a three-member or a four-member ring intermediate, which can rapidly rearrange to the most stable H(3)CCCCCH isomer on the C(5)H(4) singlet surface. This isomer can then lose a hydrogen atom (H) or molecular hydrogen (H(2)) from the CH(3) group with the formation of H(2)CCCCCH and HCCCCCH, respectively. Alternatively, H atom migrations and three-member-ring closure/opening rearrangements followed by H and H(2) losses can lead to other isomers of the C(5)H(3) and C(5)H(2) species. According to the calculated energetics, the C(2)(X(1)Sigma(g)(+)) + CH(3)CCH reaction is likely to be a major source of the C(5)H(3) radicals (in particular, the most stable H(2)CCCCCH and HCCCHCCH isomers, which are relevant to the formation of benzene through the reactions with CH(3)). Among heavy-fragment product channels, only C(3)H(3) + C(2)H and c-C(3)H(2) + C(2)H(2) might compete with C(5)H(3) + H and C(5)H(2) + H(2). RRKM calculations of reaction rate constants and product branching ratios depending on the reactive collision energy showed that the major reaction products are expected to be H(2)CCCCCH + H (64-66%) and HCCCHCCH + H (34-30%), with minor contributions from HCCCCCH + H(2) (1-2%), HCCCHCC + H(2) (up to 1%), C(3)H(3) + C(2)H (up to 1%), and c-C(3)H(2) + C(2)H(2) (up to 0.1%) if the energy randomization is complete. The calculations also indicate that the C(2)(X(1)Sigma(g)(+)) + CH(3)CCH(X(1)A(1)) reaction can proceed by direct H-abstraction of a methyl hydrogen to form C(3)H(3) + C(2)H almost without a barrier.     

A study of the reaction of N+ with O2: experimental quantification of NO+(a 3Sigma+) production (298-500 K) and computational study of the overall reaction pathways

The product branching ratios for NO+(X 1Sigma+) and NO+(a 3Sigma+) produced from the reaction of N+ with O2 have been measured at 298 and 500 K in a selected ion flow tube. Approximately 0.5% of the total products are in NO+(a) at both temperatures, despite the fact that the reaction to form NO+(a) is 0.3 eV exothermic. High-level ab initio calculations of the potential energy surfaces for the N+ + O2 reaction show that the reaction from N+(3P) + O2(3Sigma(g)) reactants starts with an efficient early stage charge transfer to the N(2D) + O2+(X 2Pi) channel, which gives rise to the O2+(X 2Pi) product and, at the same time, serves as the starting point for all of the reaction channels leading to NO+ and O+ products. Pathways to produce NO+(a 3Sigma+) are found to be less favorable than pathways leading to the major product NO+(X 1Sigma+). Production of N(2D) has implications for the concentration of NO in the mesosphere.     

An experimental and quasiclassical trajectory study of the rovibrationally state-selected reactions: HD+(v=0-15,j=1)+He-->HeH+(HeD+)+D(H)

The absolute integral cross sections for the formation of HeH+ and HeD+ from the collisions of HD+(v,j=1)+He have been examined over a broad range of vibrational energy levels v=0-13 at the center-of-mass collision energies (ET) of 0.6 and 1.4 eV using the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) pulsed field ionization photoelectron secondary ion coincidence method. The ET dependencies of the integral cross sections for products HeH+ and HeD+ from HD+(v=0-4)+He collisions in the ET range of 0-3 eV have also been measured using the VUV photoionization guided ion beam mass spectrometric technique, in which vibrationally selected HD+(v) reactant ions were prepared via excitation of selected autoionization resonances of HD. At low total energies, a pronounced isotope effect is observed in absolute integral cross sections for the HeH++D and HeD++H channels with significant favoring of the deuteron transfer channel. As v is increased in the range of v=0-9, the integral cross sections of the HeH++D channel are found to approach those of HeD++H. The observed velocity distributions of products HeD+ and HeH+ are consistent with an impulsive or spectator-stripping mechanism. Detailed quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) calculations are also presented for HD+(v,j=1)+He collisions at the same energies of the experiment. The QCT calculations were performed on the most accurate ab initio potential energy surface available. If the zero-point energy of the reaction products is taken into account, the QCT cross sections for products HeH+ and HeD+ from HD+(v)+He are found to be significantly lower than the experimental results at ET values near the reaction thresholds. The agreement between the experimental and QCT cross sections improves with translational energy. Except for prethreshold reactivity, QCT calculations ignoring the zero-point energy in the products are generally in good agreement with experimental absolute cross sections. The experimental HeH+/HeD+ branching ratios for the HD+(v=0-9)+He collisions are generally consistent with QCT predictions. The observed isotope effects can be rationalized on the basis of differences in thermochemical thresholds and angular momentum conservation constraints.     

A new mechanism for the production of highly vibrationally excited OH in the mesosphere: an ab initio study of the reactions of O2(A 3Sigmau+ and A' 3Deltau)+H

In an attempt to explain the observed nightglow emission from OH(v=10) in the mesosphere that has the energy greater than the exothermicity of the H+O(3) reaction, potential energy surfaces were calculated for reactions of high lying electronic states of O(2)(A (3)Sigma(u) (+) and A' (3)Delta(u)) with atomic hydrogen H((2)S) to produce the ground state products OH((2)Pi)+O((3)P). From collinear two-dimensional scans, several adiabatic and nonadiabatic pathways have been identified. Multiconfigurational single and double excitation configuration interaction calculations show that the adiabatic pathways on a (4)Delta potential surface from O(2)(A' (3)Delta)+H and a (4)Sigma(+) potential surface from O(2)(A (3)Sigma(u) (+))+H are the most favorable, with the zero-point corrected barrier heights of as low as 0.191 and 0.182 eV, respectively, and the reactions are fast. The transition states for these pathways are collinear and early, and the reaction coordinate suggests that the potential energy release of ca. 3.8 eV (larger than the energy required to excite OH to v=10) is likely to favor high vibrational excitation.     

Dissociation of the OCS+ ion in low-lying electronic states studied using multiconfiguration second-order perturbation theory

Complete active space self-consistent-field (CASSCF) and multiconfiguration second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) calculations with atomic natural orbital basis sets were performed to investigate the S-loss direct dissociation of the 1 2Pi(X 2Pi), 2 2Pi(A 2Pi), 1 2Sigma+(B 2Sigma+), 1 4Sigma-, 1 2Sigma-, and 1 2Delta states of the OCS+ ion and the predissociations of the 1 2Pi, 2 2Pi, and 1 2Sigma+ states. Our calculations indicate that the S-loss dissociation products of the OCS(+) ion in the six states are the ground-state CO molecule plus the S+ ion in different electronic states. The CASPT2//CASSCF potential energy curves were calculated for the S-loss dissociation from the six states. The calculations indicate that the dissociation of the 1 4Sigma- state leads to the CO + S+ (4Su) products representing the first dissociation limit; the dissociations of the 1 2Pi, 1 2Sigma-, and 1 2Delta states lead to the CO + S+(2Du) products representing the second dissociation limit; and the dissociations of the 2 2Pi and 1 2Sigma+ states lead to the CO + S+(2Pu) products representing the third dissociation limit. Seams of the 1 2Pi-1 4Sigma-, 2 2Pi-1 4Sigma-, 2 2Pi-1 2Sigma-, 2 2Pi-1 2Delta, and 1 2Sigma(+)-1 4Sigma- potential energy surface intersections were calculated at the CASPT2 level, and the minima along the seams were located. The calculations indicate that within the experimental energy range (15.07-16.0 eV) the 2 2Pi(A 2Pi) state can be predissociated by 1 4Sigma- forming the S+(4Su) ion and can undergo internal conversion to 1 2Pi followed by the direct dissociation of 1 2Pi forming S+(2Du) and that within the experimental energy range (16.04-16.54 eV) the 1 2Sigma+(B 2Sigma+) state can be predissociated by 1 4Sigma- forming the S+(4Su) ion and can undergo internal conversion to 2 2Pi followed by the predissociation of 2 2Pi by 1 2Sigma- and 1 2Delta forming the S+(2Du) ion. These indications are in line with the experimental fact that both the 4Su and 2Du states of the S+ ion can be formed from the 2 2Pi and 1 2Sigma+ states of the OCS+ ion.     

Crossed-beam study of Co+(3F4)+propane: experiment and density functional theory

A pulsed beam of Co+(3F4) crosses a pulsed beam of C3H8 or C3D8 gas under single collision conditions at collision energies of 0.01 eV and 0.21 eV. After a variable time delay t(ext) = 1-8 micros a fast high voltage pulse extracts product ions into a field-free flight tube for mass analysis. Consistent with earlier work, we observe prompt CoC3H6+ +H2 elimination products in 3:1 excess over CoC2H4+ +CH4 products at 0.21 eV on a 2-10 micros time scale. Long-lived CoC3H8+ complexes fragment predominantly back to Co+ +C3H8 reactants and to H2 elimination products on a 6-24 micros time scale. Density functional theory (B3LYP) calculations provide energies, geometries, and harmonic vibrational frequencies at key stationary points for use in a statistical rate model of the reaction. By adjusting two key multicenter transition state (MCTS) energies downward by 4-7 kcal mol(-1), we obtain good agreement with our decay time results and with the cross section versus collision energy of Armentrout and co-workers from 0.1-1.0 eV. B3LYP theory succeeds in finding relative energies of the MCTSs leading to CH4 and H2 in the proper order to explain the different product branching ratio for Co+ (which favors H2 over CH4) compared with its nearest neighbors Fe+ and Ni+ (which favor CH4 over H2).     

Cl-loss and H-loss dissociations in low-lying electronic states of the CH3Cl+ ion studied using multiconfiguration second-order perturbation theory

To examine the experimentally suggested scheme of the pathways for Cl- and H-loss dissociations of the CH(3)Cl(+) ion in the X(2)E (1(2)A', 1(2)A' '), A(2)A(1) (2(2)A'), and B(2)E (3(2)A', 2(2)A") states, the complete active space-self-consistent field (CASSCF) and multiconfiguration second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) calculations with an atomic natural orbital (ANO) basis were performed for the 1(2)A' (X(2)A'), 1(2)A", 2(2)A', and 2(2)A'" states. The potential energy curves describing dissociation from the four C(s) states were obtained on the basis of the CASSCF partial geometry optimization calculations at fixed C-Cl or C-H distance values, followed by the CASPT2 energy calculations. The electronic states of the CH3(+) and CH(2)Cl(+) ions produced by Cl-loss and H-loss dissociation, respectively, were carefully determined. Our calculations confirm the following experimental facts: Cl-loss dissociation occurs from the 1(2)A' (X(2)A'), 1(2)A", and 2(2)A' states (all leading to CH3(+) (X(1)A(1)') + Cl), and H-loss dissociation does not occur from 2(2)A'. The calculations indicate that H-loss dissociation occurs from the 1(2)A' and 1(2)A' ' states (leading to CH(2)Cl(+) (X(1)A(1)) + H and CH(2)Cl(+) (1(3)A") + H, respectively). The calculations also indicate that H-loss dissociation occurs (with a barrier) from the 2(2)A" state (leading to CH(2)Cl(+) (1(1)A") + H), supporting the observation of direct dissociation from the B state to CH(2)Cl(+) and that Cl-loss dissociation occurs from the 2(2)A" state (leading to CH3(+) (1(3)A") + Cl), not supporting the previously proposed Cl-loss dissociation of the B state via internal conversion of B to A. The predicted appearance potential values for CH3(+) (X(1)A(1)') and CH(2)Cl(+) (X(1)A(1)) are in good agreement with the experimental values.     

Combined vacuum ultraviolet laser and synchrotron pulsed field ionization study of CH2BrCl

The pulsed field ionization-photoelectron (PFI-PE) spectrum of bromochloromethane (CH2BrCl) in the region of 85,320-88,200 cm-1 has been measured using vacuum ultraviolet laser. The vibrational structure resolved in the PFI-PE spectrum was assigned based on ab initio quantum chemical calculations and Franck-Condon factor predictions. At energies 0-1400 cm-1 above the adiabatic ionization energy (IE) of CH2BrCl, the Br-C-Cl bending vibration progression (nu1+=0-8) of CH2BrCl+ is well resolved and constitutes the major structure in the PFI-PE spectrum, whereas the spectrum at energies 1400-2600 cm-1 above the IE(CH2BrCl) is found to exhibit complex vibrational features, suggesting perturbation by the low lying excited CH2BrCl+(A 2A") state. The assignment of the PFI-PE vibrational bands gives the IE(CH2BrCl)=85,612.4+/-2.0 cm-1 (10.6146+/-0.0003 eV) and the bending frequencies nu1+(a1')=209.7+/-2.0 cm-1 for CH2BrCl+(X2A'). We have also examined the dissociative photoionization process, CH2BrCl+hnu-->CH2Cl++Br+e-, in the energy range of 11.36-11.57 eV using the synchrotron based PFI-PE-photoion coincidence method, yielding the 0 K threshold or appearance energy AE(CH2Cl+)=11.509+/-0.002 eV. Combining the 0 K AE(CH2Cl+) and IE(CH2BrCl) values obtained in this study, together with the known IE(CH2Cl), we have determined the 0 K bond dissociation energies (D0) for CH2Cl+-Br (0.894+/-0.002 eV) and CH2Cl-Br (2.76+/-0.01 eV). We have also performed CCSD(T, full)/complete basis set (CBS) calculations with high-level corrections for the predictions of the IE(CH2BrCl), AE(CH2Cl+), IE(CH2Cl), D0(CH2Cl+-Br), and D0(CH2Cl-Br). The comparison between the theoretical predictions and experimental determinations indicates that the CCSD(T, full)/CBS calculations with high-level corrections are highly reliable with estimated error limits of <17 meV.     

Investigations of silicon-nitrogen hydrides from reaction of nitrogen atoms with silane: experiments and calculations

Using a quadrupole mass filter and vacuum-ultraviolet ionization, we measured the time-of-flight spectra of species at mass-to-charge ratios of m/ z = 45-42 from the reaction of N + SiH 4 in crossed molecular beams. Species with m/ z = 44 and 43 correspond to reaction products HSiNH/SiNH 2 and HSiN/HNSi, respectively; species with m/ z = 45 and 42 are assigned to isotopic variants and daughter ions, respectively, of those two reaction products. We measured the photoionization yields and branching ratios for dissociative ionization of reaction products as a function of photoionization energy. The ionization thresholds of products HSiNH/SiNH 2 and HSiN/HNSi were determined to be 6.7 and 9.2 eV, respectively. Furthermore, we calculated the equilibrium structures, electronic energies, and vibrational wavenumbers of various silicon-nitrogen hydrides H x SiNH y ( x + y = 0-3) using quantum-chemical methods. SiNH 2 (X (2)B 2) and HNSi (X (1)Sigma (+)) are more stable than HSiNH (X (2)A') and HSiN (X (1)Sigma (+)) by 0.82 and 2.81 eV, respectively. SiNH 2 (X (2)B 2), HSiNH (X (2)A'), HNSi (X (1)Sigma (+)), and HSiN (X (1)Sigma (+)) have adiabatic ionization energies of 6.81, 8.19, 10.21, and 10.23 eV, respectively. These experimental and calculated results indicate that SiNH 2 (X (2)B 2) and HNSi (X (1)Sigma (+)) are dominant among isomeric products in the reaction of N + SiH 4. This work presents the first observation of products from the reaction of N + SiH 4 in crossed beams and extensive calculations on pertinent silicon-nitrogen hydrides.     

Trajectory surface hopping study of the O(3P) + ethylene reaction dynamics

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) induced intersystem crossing (ISC) has long been believed to play a crucial role in determining the product distributions in the O(3P) + C2H4 reaction. In this paper, we present the first nonadiabatic dynamics study of the title reaction at two center-of-mass collision energies: 0.56 eV, which is barely above the H-atom abstraction barrier on the triplet surface, and 3.0 eV, which is in the hyperthermal regime. The calculations were performed using a quasiclassical trajectory surface hopping (TSH) method with the potential energy surface generated on the fly at the unrestricted B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. To simplify our calculations, nonadiabatic transitions were only considered when the singlet surface intersects the triplet surface. At the crossing points, Landau-Zener transition probabilities were computed assuming a fixed spin-orbit coupling parameter, which was taken to be 70 cm-1 in most calculations. Comparison with a recent crossed molecular beam experiment at 0.56 eV collision energy shows qualitative agreement as to the primary product branching ratios, with the CH3 + CHO and H + CH2CHO channels accounting for over 70% of total product formation. However, our direct dynamics TSH calculations overestimate ISC so that the total triplet/singlet ratio is 25:75, compared to the observed 43:57. Smaller values of SOC reduce ISC, resulting in better agreement with the experimental product relative yields; we demonstrate that these smaller SOC values are close to being consistent with estimates based on CASSCF calculations. As the collision energy increases, ISC becomes much less important and at 3.0 eV, the triplet to singlet branching ratio is 71:29. As a result, the triplet products CH2 + CH2O, H + CH2CHO and OH + C2H3 dominate over the singlet products CH3 + CHO, H2 + CH2CO, etc.     

State-resolved dynamics of the CN(B2Sigma+) and CH(A2Delta) excited products resulting from the VUV photodissociation of CH3CN

Fourier transform visible spectroscopy, in conjunction with VUV photons produced by a synchrotron, is employed to investigate the photodissociation of CH3CN. Emission is observed from both the CN(B2Sigma+-X2Sigma+) and CH(A2Delta-X2Pi) transitions; only the former is observed in spectra recorded at 10.2 and 11.5 eV, whereas both are detected in the 16 eV spectrum. The rotational and vibrational temperatures of both the CN(B2Sigma+) and CH(A2Delta) radical products are derived using a combination of spectral simulations and Boltzmann plots. The CN(B2Sigma+) fragment displays a bimodal rotational distribution in all cases. Trot(CN(B2Sigma+)) ranges from 375 to 600 K at lower K' and from 1840 to 7700 K at higher K' depending on the photon energy used. Surprisal analyses indicate clear bimodal rotational distributions, suggesting CN(B2Sigma+) is formed via either linear or bent transition states, respectively, depending on the extent of rotational excitation in this fragment. CH(A2Delta) has a single rotational distribution when produced at 16 eV, which results in Trot(CH(A2Delta))=4895+/-140 K in v'=0 and 2590+/-110 K in v'=1. From thermodynamic calculations, it is evident that CH(A2Delta) is produced along with CN(X2Sigma+)+H2. These products can be formed by a two step mechanism (via excited CH3* and ground state CN(X2Sigma+)) or a process similar to the "roaming" atom mechanism; the data obtained here are insufficient to definitively conclude whether either pathway occurs. A comparison of the CH(A2Delta) and CN(B2Sigma+) rotational distributions produced by 16 eV photons allows the ratio between the two excited fragments at this energy to be determined. An expression that considers the rovibrational populations of both band systems results in a CH(A2Delta):CN(B2Sigma+) ratio of (1.2+/-0.1):1 at 16 eV, thereby indicating that production of CH(A2Delta) is significant at 16 eV.     

Dissociative photoionization mechanism of methanol isotopologues (CH3OH, CD3OH, CH3OD and CD3OD) by iPEPICO: energetics, statistical and non-statistical kinetics and isotope effects

The dissociative photoionization of energy selected methanol isotopologue (CH(3)OH, CD(3)OH, CH(3)OD and CD(3)OD) cations was investigated using imaging Photoelectron Photoion Coincidence (iPEPICO) spectroscopy. The first dissociation is an H/D-atom loss from the carbon, also confirmed by partial deuteration. Somewhat above 12 eV, a parallel H(2)-loss channel weakly asserts itself. At photon energies above 15 eV, in a consecutive hydrogen molecule loss to the first H-atom loss, the formation of CHO(+)/CDO(+) dominates as opposed to COH(+)/COD(+) formation. We see little evidence for H-atom scrambling in these processes. In the photon energy range corresponding to the B[combining tilde] and C[combining tilde] ion states, a hydroxyl radical loss appears yielding CH(3)(+)/CD(3)(+). Based on the branching ratios, statistical considerations and ab initio calculations, this process is confirmed to take place on the first electronically excited ?(2)A' ion state. Uncharacteristically, internal conversion is outcompeted by unimolecular dissociation due to the apparently weak Renner-Teller-like coupling between the X[combining tilde] and the ? ion states. The experimental 0 K appearance energies of the ions CH(2)OH(+), CD(2)OH(+), CH(2)OD(+) and CD(2)OD(+) are measured to be 11.646 ± 0.003 eV, 11.739 ± 0.003 eV, 11.642 ± 0.003 eV and 11.737 ± 0.003 eV, respectively. The E(0)(CH(2)OH(+)) = 11.6454 ± 0.0017 eV was obtained based on the independently measured isotopologue results and calculated zero point effects. The 0 K heat of formation of CH(2)OH(+), protonated formaldehyde, was determined to be 717.7 ± 0.7 kJ mol(-1). This yields a 0 K heat of formation of CH(2)OH of -11.1 ± 0.9 kJ mol(-1) and an experimental 298 K proton affinity of formaldehyde of 711.6 ± 0.8 kJ mol(-1). The reverse barrier to homonuclear H(2)-loss from CH(3)OH(+) is determined to be 36 kJ mol(-1), whereas for heteronuclear H(2)-loss from CH(2)OH(+) it is found to be 210 kJ mol(-1).     

A combined crossed molecular beam and ab initio investigation of C2 and C3 elementary reactions with unsaturated hydrocarbons--pathways to hydrogen deficient hydrocarbon radicals in combustion flames

Crossed molecular beam experiments on dicarbon and tricarbon reactions with unsaturated hydrocarbons acetylene, methylacetylene, and ethylene were performed to investigate the dynamics of channels leading to hydrogen-deficient hydrocarbon radicals. In the light of the results of new ab initio calculations, the experimental data suggest that these reactions are governed by an initial addition of C2/C3 to the pi molecular orbitals forming highly unsaturated cyclic structures. These intermediates are connected via various transition states and are suggested to ring open to chain isomers which decompose predominantly by displacement of atomic hydrogen, forming C4H, C5H, HCCCCCH2, HCCCCCCH3, H2CCCCH and H2CCCCCH. The C2(1 sigma g+) + C2H4 reaction has no entrance barrier and the channel leading to the H2CCCCH product is strongly exothermic. This is in strong contrast with the C3(1 sigma g+) + C2H4 reaction as this is characterized by a 26.4 kJ mol-1 threshold to form a HCCCCCH2 isomer. Analogous to the behavior with ethylene, preliminary results on the reactions of C2 and C3 with C2H2 and CH3CCH showed the H-displacement channels of these systems to share many similarities such as the absence/presence of an entrance barrier and the reaction mechanism. The explicit identification of the C2/C3 vs. hydrogen displacement demonstrates that hydrogen-deficient hydrocarbon radicals can be formed easily in environments like those of combustion processes. Our work is a first step towards a systematic database of the intermediates and the reaction products which are involved in this important class of reactions. These findings should be included in future models of PAH and soot formation in combustion flames.     

Photodissociation dynamics of the ethoxy radical investigated by photofragment coincidence imaging

The photodissociation dynamics of the ethoxy radical (CH3CH2O) have been studied at energies from 5.17 to 5.96 eV using photofragment coincidence imaging. The upper state of the electronic transition excited at these energies is assigned to the C2A'state on the basis of electronic structure calculations. Fragment mass distributions show two photodissociation channels, OH + C2H4 and CH3 + CH2O. The presence of an additional photodissociation channel, identified as D + C2D4O, is revealed in time-of-flight distributions from the photodissociation of CD3CD2O. The product branching ratios and fragment translational energy distributions for all of the observed mass channels are nonstatistical. Moreover, the significant yield of OH + C2H4 product suggests that the mechanism for this channel involves isomerization on the excited-state surface. Photodissociation at a much lower yield is seen following excitation at 3.91 eV, corresponding to a vibronic band of the B2A' <-- X2A' transition.     

Rotational state-resolved reaction cross section in the reactions of state-selected CH with NO and with O2

A pure and highly intense state-selected pulsed supersonic CH(X (2)Pi) radical beam source was developed by use of the C((1)D)+H(2) reaction with the combination of the state selection and purification by an electrostatic hexapole field. Under the beam-cell condition, the elementary reactions of CH+NO and CH+O(2) were studied by using this state-selected CH beam. NH(A (3)Pi) [and NCO(A (2)Sigma(+))] formations and OH(A (2)Sigma(+)) formation were directly identified in the elementary reaction of CH+NO and CH+O(2), respectively. For the CH+NO reaction, the relative branching ratio sigma(NCO*)sigma(NH) of NCO(A (2)Sigma(+)) formation to NH(A (3)Pi) formation was determined to be 0.35+/-0.15. The state-selected reaction cross sections were determined for each rotational state of CH. In the CH+NO reaction, a remarkable rotational state dependence of the reactive cross section was revealed, while the CH+O(2) reaction showed little rotational state dependence.     

Reaction pathway and potential barrier for the CaH product in the reaction of Ca(4s4p1P1) + H2 --> CaH(X2Sigma+) + H

The nascent CaH product in the reaction Ca(4s4p1P1) + H2 --> CaH(X2Sigma+) + H is obtained using a pump-probe technique. The CaH(v = 0,1) distributions, with a population ratio of CaH(v = 0)/CaH(v = 1) = 2.7+/-0.2, may be characterized by low Boltzmann rotational temperature. According to Arrhenius theory, the temperature dependence measurement yields a potential barrier of 3820+/-480 cm(-1) for the current reaction. As a result of the potential energy surfaces (PES) calculations, the reaction pathway favors a Ca insertion into the H2 bond along a (near) C2v geometric approach. As the H2 bond is elongated, the configurational mixing between the orbital components of the 4p and nearby low-lying 3d state with the same symmetry makes significant the nonadiabatic transition between the 5A' and 2A' surface in the repulsive limbs. Therefore, the collision species are anticipated to track along the 5A' surface, then undergo nonadiabatic transition to the inner limb of the 2A' surface, and finally cross to the reactive 1A' surface. The observed energy barrier probably accounts for the energy requirement to surmount the repulsive hill in the entrance. The findings of the nascent CaH product distributions may be reasonably interpreted from the nature of the intermediate structure and lifetime after the 2A'-1A' surface transition. The distinct product distributions between the Ca(4 1P1) and Mg(3 1P1) reactions with H2 may also be realized with the aid of the PES calculations.     

Exploring the dynamics of reaction N((2)D)+C2H4 with crossed molecular-beam experiments and quantum-chemical calculations

We conducted the title reaction using a crossed molecular-beam apparatus, quantum-chemical calculations, and RRKM calculations. Synchrotron radiation from an undulator served to ionize selectively reaction products by advantage of negligibly small dissociative ionization. We observed two products with gross formula C(2)H(3)N and C(2)H(2)N associated with loss of one and two hydrogen atoms, respectively. Measurements of kinetic-energy distributions, angular distributions, low-resolution photoionization spectra, and branching ratios of the two products were carried out. Furthermore, we evaluated total branching ratios of various exit channels using RRKM calculations based on the potential-energy surface of reaction N((2)D)+C(2)H(4) established with the method CCSD(T)/6-311+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)+ZPE[B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)]. The combination of experimental and computational results allows us to reveal the reaction dynamics. The N((2)D) atom adds to the C=C π-bond of ethene (C(2)H(4)) to form a cyclic complex c-CH(2)(N)CH(2) that directly ejects a hydrogen atom or rearranges to other intermediates followed by elimination of a hydrogen atom to produce C(2)H(3)N; c-CH(2)(N)CH+H is the dominant product channel. Subsequently, most C(2)H(3)N radicals, notably c-CH(2)(N)CH, further decompose to CH(2)CN+H. This work provides results and explanations different from the previous work of Balucani et al. [J. Phys. Chem. A, 2000, 104, 5655], indicating that selective photoionization with synchrotron radiation as an ionization source is a good choice in chemical dynamics research.     

Theoretical Study of Reaction Mechanism of 1-Propenyl Radical with NO

The reaction system of 1-propenyl radical with NO is an ideal model for studying the intermolecular and intramolecular reactions of complex organic free radicals containing C=C double bonds. On the basis of the full optimization of all species with the Gaussian 98 package at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level, the reaction mechanism was elucidated extensively using the vibrational mode analysis. There are seven reaction pathways and five sets of small molecule end products: CH2O+CH3CN, CH2CHCN+H2O, CH3CHO+HCN, CH3CHO+HNC, and CH3CCH+HNO. The channel of C3H5￠+NO→ IM1→TS1→IM2→TS2→IM3→TS3→CH3CHO+HCN is thermodynamically most favorable.