Luminescence measurements of Xe(+) + N2 and Xe(2+) + N2 hyperthermal charge transfer collisions

Luminescence spectra are recorded for collisions between Xe(+)/Xe(2+) and molecular nitrogen at energies ranging from 4.5 to 316 eV in the center-of-mass frame. In the Xe(+) + N(2) collision system, evidence for luminescent charge-transfer products is only found through Xe I emission lines. The most intense features of the luminescence spectra are attributed to atomic N emissions observed above ～20 eV. Intense N(2)(+) A (2)Π(u) - X(2)Σ(g)(+) and B(2)Σ(u)(+) - X(2)Σ(g)(+) radiance is observed from Xe(2+) + N(2) collisions. The B state formation cross section decreases with collision energy until 20 eV, after which it becomes independent of impact energy with an approximate value of 3 ?(2). The cross section for N(2) (+) A (ν > 0) formation increases with energy until 20 eV, after which it remains nearly constant at ～1 ?(2). The N(2)(+) product vibrational distributions extracted from the spectra are non-Franck-Condon for both electronic product states at low collision energies. The distributions resemble a Franck-Condon distribution at the highest energies investigated in this work.     

Quasiclassical trajectory study of the collision-induced dissociation dynamics of Ar + CH3SH+ using an ab initio interpolated potential energy surface

Classical trajectory calculations have been performed to investigate the collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the CH(3)SH(+) cation with Ar atoms. A new intramolecular potential energy surface for the CH(3)SH(+) cation is evaluated by interpolation of 3000 ab initio data points calculated at the MP2/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. The new potential energy surface includes seven accessible dissociation channels of the cation. The present QCT calculations show that migration of hydrogen atoms, leading to the rearrangement CH(3)SH(+) <--> CH(2)SH(2)(+), is significant at the collision energies considered (6.5-34.7 eV) and that the formation of CH(3)(+), CH(3)S(+), and CH(2)(+) cations takes place primarily by a "shattering" mechanism in which the products are formed just after the collision. The theoretical product abundances are found to be in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. However, at high collision energies, the calculated total cross sections for the formation of CH(3)(+) and CH(2)SH(+) cations are noticeably larger than the experimental determinations. Several features of the dynamics of the CID processes are discussed.     

Reaction of HOD+ with NO2: effects of OD and OH stretching, bending, and collision energy on reactions on the singlet and triplet potential surfaces

Integral cross sections and product recoil velocity distributions were measured for the reaction of HOD(+) with NO(2), in which the HOD(+) reactant was prepared in its ground state and with mode-selective excitation in the 001 (OH stretch), 100 (OD stretch), and 010 (bend) modes. In addition, we measured the 300 K thermal kinetics in a selected ion flow tube reactor and report product branching ratios different from previous measurements. Reaction is found to occur on both the singlet and triplet surfaces with near-unit efficiency. At 300 K, the product branching indicates that triplet → singlet transitions occur in about 60% of triplet-coupled collisions, which we attribute to long interaction times mediated by complexes on the triplet surface. Because the collision times are much shorter in the beam experiments, the product distributions show no signs of such transitions. The dominant product on the singlet surface is charge transfer. Reactions on the triplet surface lead to NO(+), NO(2)H(+), and NO(2)D(+). There is also charge transfer, producing NO(2)(+) (a(3)B(2)); however, this triplet NO(2)(+) mostly predissociates. The NO(2)H(+)/NO(2)D(+) cross sections peak at low collision energies and are insignificant above ~1 eV due to OH/OD loss from the nascent product ions. The effects of HOD(+) vibration are mode-specific. Vibration inhibits charge transfer, with the largest effect from the bend. The NO(2)H(+)/NO(2)D(+) channels are also vibrationally inhibited, and the mode dependence reveals how energy in different reactant modes couples to the internal energy of the product ions.     

Quasiclassical trajectory study of the collision-induced dissociation of CH3SH+ + Ar

Quasiclassical trajectory calculations were carried out to study the dynamics of energy transfer and collision-induced dissociation (CID) of CH(3)SH(+) + Ar at collision energies ranging from 4.34 to 34.7 eV. The relative abundances calculated for the most relevant product ions are found to be in good agreement with experiment, except for the lowest energies investigated. In general, the dissociation to form CH(3)(+) + SH is the dominant channel, even though it is not among the energetically favored reaction pathways. The results corroborate that this selective dissociation observed upon collisional activation arises from a more efficient translational to vibrational energy transfer for the low-frequency C-S stretching mode than for the high-frequency C-H stretching modes, together with weak couplings between the low- and high-frequency modes of vibration. The calculations suggest that CID takes place preferentially by a direct CH(3)(+) + SH detachment, and more efficiently when the Ar atom collides with the methyl group-side of CH(3)SH(+).     

Activation of the C-I and C-OH bonds of 2-iodoethanol by gas phase silver cluster cations yields subvalent silver-iodide and -hydroxide cluster cations

The gas phase ion-molecule reactions of silver cluster cations (Ag(n)(+)) and silver hydride cluster cations (Ag(m)H(+)) with 2-iodoethanol have been examined using multistage mass spectrometry experiments in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. These clusters exhibit size selective reactivity: Ag(2)H(+), Ag(3)(+), and Ag(4)H(+) undergo sequential ligand addition only, while Ag(5)(+) and Ag(6)H(+) also promote both C-I and C-OH bond activation of 2-iodoethanol. Collision induced dissociation (CID) of Ag(5)HIO(+), the product of C-I and C-OH bond activation by Ag(5)(+), yielded Ag(4)OH(+), Ag(4)I(+) and Ag(3)(+), consistent with a structure containing AgI and AgOH moieties. Ag(6)H(+) promotes both C-I and C-OH bond activation of 2-iodoethanol to yield the metathesis product Ag(6)I(+) as well as Ag(6)H(2)IO(+). The metathesis product Ag(6)I(+) also promotes C-I and C-OH bond activation.DFT calculations were carried out to gain insights into the reaction of Ag(5)(+) with ICH(2)CH(2)OH by calculating possible structures and their energies for the following species: (i) initial adducts of Ag(5)(+) and ICH(2)CH(2)OH, (ii) the subsequent Ag(5)HIO(+) product, (iii) CID products of Ag(5)HIO(+). Potential adducts were probed by allowing ICH(2)CH(2)OH to bind in different ways (monodentate through I, monodentate through OH, bidentate) at different sites for two isomers of Ag(5)(+): the global minimum "bowtie" structure, 1, and the higher energy trigonal bipyramidal isomer, 2. The following structural trends emerged: (i) ICH(2)CH(2)OH binds in a monodentate fashion to the silver core with little distortion, (ii) ICH(2)CH(2)OH binds to 1 in a bidentate fashion with some distortion to the silver core, and (iii) ICH(2)CH(2)OH binds to 2 and results in a significant distortion or rearrangement of the silver core. The DFT calculated minimum energy structure of Ag(5)HIO(+) consists of an OH ligated to the face of a distorted trigonal bipyramid with I located at a vertex, while those for both Ag(4)X(+) (X = OH, I) involve AgX bound to a Ag(3)(+) core. The calculations also predict the following: (i) the ion-molecule reaction of Ag(5)(+) and ICH(2)CH(2)OH to yield Ag(5)HIO(+) is exothermic by 34.3 kcal mol(-1), consistent with the fact that this reaction readily occurs under the near thermal experimental conditions, (ii) the lowest energy products for fragmentation of Ag(5)HIO(+) arise from loss of AgI, consistent with this being the major pathway in the CID experiments.     

Guided-ion beam and theoretical study of the potential energy surface for activation of methane by W+

A guided-ion beam tandem mass spectrometer is used to study the reactions, W(+) + CH(4) (CD(4)) and [W,C,2H](+) + H(2) (D(2)), to probe the [W,C,4H](+) potential energy surface. The reaction W(+) + CH(4) produces [W,C,2H](+) in the only low-energy process. The analogous reaction in the CD(4) system exhibits a cross section with strong differences at the lowest energies caused by zero-point energy differences, demonstrating that this reaction is slightly exothermic for CH(4) and slightly endothermic for CD(4). The [W,C,2H](+) product ion reacts further at thermal energies with CH(4) to produce W(CH(2))(x)(+) (x = 2-4). At higher energies, the W(+) + CH(4) reaction forms WH(+) as the dominant ionic product with smaller amounts of WCH(3)(+), WCH(+), and WC(+) also formed. The energy dependent cross sections for endothermic formation of the various products are analyzed and allow the determination of D(0)(W(+)-CH(3)) approximately 2.31 +/- 0.10 eV, D(0)(W(+)-CH(2)) = 4.74 +/- 0.03 eV, D(0)(W(+)-CH) = 6.01 +/- 0.28 eV, and D(0)(W(+)-C) = 4.96 +/- 0.22 eV. We also examine the reverse reaction, [W,C,2H](+) + H(2) (D(2)) --> W(+) + CH(4) (CH(2)D(2)). Combining the cross sections for the forward and reverse processes yields an equilibrium constant from which D(0)(W(+)-CH(2)) = 4.72 +/- 0.04 eV is derived. Theoretical calculations performed at the B3LYP/HW+/6-311++G(3df,3p) level yield thermochemistry in reasonable agreement with experiment. These calculations help identify the structures and electronic states of the species involved and characterize the potential energy surface for the [W,C,4H](+) system.     

Reactions of O+ with CnH2n+2, n=2-4: a guided-ion beam study

We have measured absolute reaction cross sections for the interaction of O(+) with ethane, propane, and n-butane at collision energies in the range from near thermal to approximately 20 eV, using the guided-ion beam (GIB) technique. We have also measured product recoil velocity distributions using the GIB time-of-flight (TOF) technique for several product ions at a series of collision energies. The total cross sections for each alkane are in excess of 100 A(2) at energies below approximately 2 eV, and in each case several ionic products arise. The large cross sections suggest reactions that are dominated by large impact parameter collisions, as is consistent with a scenario in which the many products derive from a near-resonant, dissociative charge-transfer process that leads to several fragmentation pathways. The recoil velocities, which indicate product ions with largely thermal velocity distributions, support this picture. Several product ions, most notably the C(2)H(3) (+) fragment for each of the alkanes, exhibit enhanced reaction efficiency as collision energy increases, which can be largely attributed to endothermic channels within the dissociative charge-transfer mechanism.     

Potential energy surface for activation of methane by Pt(+): a combined guided ion beam and DFT study

A guided-ion beam tandem mass spectrometer is used to study the reactions of Pt(+) with methane, PtCH(2)(+) with H(2) and D(2), and collision-induced dissociation of PtCH(4)(+) and PtCH(2)(+) with Xe. These studies experimentally probe the potential energy surface for the activation of methane by Pt(+). For the reaction of Pt(+) with methane, dehydrogenation to form PtCH(2)(+) + H(2) is exothermic, efficient, and the only process observed at low energies. PtH(+), formed in a simple C-H bond cleavage, dominates the product spectrum at high energies. The observation of a PtH(2)(+) product provides evidence that methane activation proceeds via a (H)(2)PtCH(2)(+) intermediate. Modeling of the endothermic reaction cross sections yields the 0 K bond dissociation energies in eV (kJ/mol) of D(0)(Pt(+)-H) = 2.81 +/- 0.05 (271 +/- 5), D(0)(Pt(+)-2H) = 6.00 +/- 0.12 (579 +/- 12), D(0)(Pt(+)-C) = 5.43 +/- 0.05 (524 +/- 5), D(0)(Pt(+)-CH) = 5.56 +/- 0.10 (536 +/- 10), and D(0)(Pt(+)-CH(3)) = 2.67 +/- 0.08 (258 +/- 8). D(0)(Pt(+)-CH(2)) = 4.80 +/- 0.03 eV (463 +/- 3 kJ/mol) is determined by measuring the forward and reverse reaction rates for Pt(+) + CH(4) right harpoon over left harpoon PtCH(2)(+) + H(2) at thermal energy. We find extensive hydrogen scrambling in the reaction of PtCH(2)(+) with D(2). Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of PtCH(4)(+), identified as the H-Pt(+)-CH(3) intermediate, with Xe reveals a bond energy of 1.77 +/- 0.08 eV (171 +/- 8 kJ/mol) relative to Pt(+) + CH(4). The experimental thermochemistry is favorably compared with density functional theory calculations (B3LYP using several basis sets), which also establish the electronic structures of these species and provide insight into the reaction mechanism. Results for the reaction of Pt(+) with methane are compared with those for the analogous palladium system and the differences in reactivity and mechanism are discussed.     

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.     

Reaction of C2H2(+) (n · ν2, m · ν5) with NO2: reaction on the singlet and triplet surfaces

Integral cross sections and product recoil velocity distributions were measured for reaction of C(2)H(2)(+) with NO(2), in which the C(2)H(2)(+) reactant was prepared in its ground state, and with mode-selective excitation in the cis-bend (2ν(5)) and CC stretch (n · ν(2), n = 1, 2). Because both reactants have one unpaired electron, collisions can occur with either singlet or triplet coupling of these unpaired electrons, and the contributions are separated based on distinct recoil dynamics. For singlet coupling, reaction efficiency is near unity, with significant branching to charge transfer (NO(2)(+)), O(-) transfer (NO(+)), and O transfer (C(2)H(2)O(+)) products. For triplet coupling, reaction efficiency varies between 13% and 19%, depending on collision energy. The only significant triplet channel is NO(+) + triplet ketene, generated predominantly by O(-) transfer, with a possible contribution from dissociative charge transfer at high collision energies. NO(2)(+) formation (charge transfer) can only occur on the singlet surface, and appears to be mediated by a weakly bound complex at low energies. O transfer (C(2)H(2)O(+)) also appears to be dominated by reaction on the singlet surface, but is quite inefficient, suggesting a bottleneck limiting coupling to this product from the singlet reaction coordinate. The dominant channel is O(-) transfer, producing NO(+), with roughly equal contributions from reaction on singlet and triplet surfaces. The effects of C(2)H(2)(+) vibration are modest, but mode specific. For all three product channels (i.e., charge, O(-), and O transfer), excitation of the CC stretch fundamental (ν(2)) has little effect, 2 · ν(2) excitation results in ～50% reduction in reactivity, and excitation of the cis-bend overtone (2 · ν(5)) results in ～50% enhancement. The fact that all channels have similar mode dependence suggests that the rate-limiting step, where vibrational excitation has its effect, is early on the reaction coordinate, and branching to the individual product channels occurs later.     

An ab initio based global potential energy surface describing CH5+ --> CH3+ + H2

A full-dimensional, ab initio based potential energy surface (PES) for CH(5)(+), which can describe dissociation is reported. The PES is a precise fit to 36173 coupled-cluster [CCSD(T)] calculations of electronic energies done using an aug-cc-pVTZ basis. The fit uses a polynomial basis that is invariant with respect to permutation of the five H atoms, and thus describes all 120 equivalent minima. The rms fitting error is 78.1 cm(-1) for the entire data set of energies up to 30,000 cm(-1) and a normal-mode analysis of CH(5)(+) also verifies the accuracy of the fit. Two saddle points have been located on the surface as well and compared with previous theoretical work. The PES dissociates correctly to the fragments CH(3)(+) + H(2) and the equilibrium geometry and normal-mode analyses of these fragments are also presented. Diffusion Monte Carlo calculations are done for the zero-point energies of CH(5)(+) (and some isotopologs) as well as for the separated fragments of CH(5)(+), CH(3)(+) + H(2) and those of CH(4)D(+), CH(3)(+) + HD and CH(2)D(+) + H(2). Values of D(0) are reported for these dissociations. A molecular dynamics calculation of CH(4)D(+) dissociation at one total energy is also performed to both validate the applicability of the PES for dynamics studies as well as to test a simple classical statistical prediction of the branching ratio of the dissociation products.     

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).     

Reaction mechanism of HCN+ + C2H4: a theoretical study

The complex doublet potential energy surface for the ion-molecule reaction of HCN(+) with C(2)H(4) is investigated at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) and CCSD(T)/6-311++G(3df,2pd) (single-point) levels. The initial association between HCN(+) and C(2)H(4) forms three energy-rich addition intermediates, 1 (HCNCH(2)CH(2)(+)), 2 (HC-cNCH(2)CH(2)(+)), and 3 (N-cCHCH(2)CH(2)(+)), which are predicted to undergo subsequent isomerization and decomposition steps. A total of nine kinds of dissociation products, including P(1) (HCN + C(2)H(4)(+)), P(2) (HCNCHCH(2)(+) + H), P(3) (NCCH(2) + CH(3)(+)), P(4) (CN + C(2)H(5)(+)), P(5) (NCCHCH(2)(+) + H(2)), P(6) (HNCCHCH(2)(+) + H), P(7) (c-CHCCH(2)N(+) + H(2)), P(8) (c-NHCCH(2)C(+) + H(2)), and P(9) (HNCCCH(+) + H(2) + H), are obtained. Among the nine products, P(1) is the most abundant product. P(2) is the second feasible product but is much less competitive than P(1). P(3), P(4), P(5), and P(6) may have the lowest yields observed. Other products, P(7), P(8), and P(9), may become feasible at high temperature. Because the intermediates and transition states involved in the most favorable pathway all lie below the reactant, the HCN(+) + C(2)H(4) reaction is expected to be rapid, which is confirmed by experiment. The present calculation results may provide a useful guide for understanding the mechanism of HCN(+) toward other unsaturated hydrocarbons.     

Crossed-beams studies of the dynamics of the H-atom abstraction reaction, O(3P) + CH4 → OH + CH3, at hyperthermal collision energies

The H-atom abstraction reaction, O((3)P) + CH(4) → OH + CH(3), has been studied at a hyperthermal collision energy of 64 kcal mol(-1) by two crossed-molecular-beams techniques. The OH products were detected with a rotatable mass spectrometer employing electron-impact ionization, and the CH(3) products were detected with the combination of resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and time-sliced ion velocity-map imaging. The OH products are mainly formed through a stripping mechanism, in which the reagent O atom approaches the CH(4) molecule at large impact parameters and the OH product is scattered in the forward direction: roughly the same direction as the reagent O atoms. Most of the available energy is partitioned into product translation. The dominance of the stripping mechanism is a unique feature of such H-atom abstraction reactions at hyperthermal collision energies. In the hyperthermal reaction of O((3)P) with CH(4), the H-atom abstraction reaction pathway accounts for 70% of the reactive collisions, while the H-atom elimination pathway to produce OCH(3) + H accounts for the other 30%.     

State-selective preparation of NO2+ and the effects of NO2+ vibrational mode on charge transfer with NO

Two color resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) scheme of NO(2) through the E (2)Sigma(u)(+) (3psigma) Rydberg state was used to prepare NO(2)(+) in its ground and (100), (010), (02(0)0), (02(2)0), and (001) vibrational states. Photoelectron spectroscopy was used to verify >96% state selection purity, in good agreement with results of Bell et al. for a similar REMPI scheme. The effects of NO(2)(+) vibrational excitation on charge transfer with NO have been studied over the center-of-mass collision energy (E(col)) range from 0.07 to 2.15 eV. Charge transfer is strongly suppressed by collision energy at E(col) < approximately 0.25 eV but is independent of E(col) at higher energies. Mode-specific vibrational effects are observed for both the integral and differential cross-sections. The NO(2)(+) bending vibration strongly enhances charge transfer, with enhancement proportional to the bending quantum number, and is not dependent on the bending angular momentum. The enhancement results from increased charge transfer probability in large impact parameter collisions that lead to small deflection angles. The symmetric stretch also enhances reaction at low collision energies, albeit less efficiently than the bend. The asymmetric stretch has virtually no effect, despite being the highest-energy mode. A model is proposed to account for both the collision energy and the vibrational state dependence.     

Kinetic studies of atmospherically relevant silicon chemistry. Part III: Reactions of Si+ and SiO+ with O3, and Si+ with O2

Silicon ions are generated in the Earth's upper atmosphere by hyperthermal collisions of material ablated from incoming meteoroids with atmospheric molecules, and from charge transfer of silicon-bearing neutral species with major atmospheric ions. Reported Si(+) number density vs. height profiles show a sharp decrease below 95 km, which has been commonly attributed to the fast reaction with H(2)O. Here we report rate coefficients and branching ratios of the reactions of Si(+) and SiO(+) with O(3), measured using a flow tube with a laser ablation source and detection of ions by quadrupole mass spectrometry. The results obtained are (2σ uncertainty): k(Si(+) + O(3), 298 K) = (6.5 ± 2.1) × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), with three product channels (branching ratios): SiO(+) + O(2) (0.52 ± 0.24), SiO + O(2)(+) (0.48 ± 0.24), and SiO(2)(+) + O (<0.1); k(SiO(+) + O(3), 298 K) = (6 ± 4) × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), where the major products (branching ratio ≥ 0.95) are SiO(2) + O(2)(+). Reactions (1) and (2) therefore have the unusual ability to neutralise silicon directly, as well as forming molecular ions which can undergo dissociative recombination with electrons. These reactions, along with the recently reported reaction between Si(+) and O(2)((1)Δ(g)), largely explain the disappearance of Si(+) below 95 km in the atmosphere, relative to other major meteoric ions such as Fe(+) and Mg(+). The rate coefficient of the Si(+) + O(2) + He reaction was measured to be k(298 K) = (9.0±1.3) × 10(-30) cm(6) molecule(-2) s(-1), in agreement with previous measurements. The SiO(2)(+) species produced from this reaction, which could be vibrationally excited, is observed to charge transfer at a relatively slow rate with O(2), with a rate constant of k(298 K) = (1.5 ± 1.0) × 10(-13) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1).     

Electronic and vibrational spectroscopy of intermediates in methane-to-methanol conversion by CoO+

At room temperature, cobalt oxide cations directly convert methane to methanol with high selectivity but very low efficiency. Two potential intermediates of this reaction, the [HO-Co-CH(3)](+) insertion intermediate and [H(2)O-Co=CH(2)](+) aquo-carbene complex are produced in a laser ablation source and characterized by electronic and vibrational spectroscopy. Reaction of laser-ablated cobalt cations with different organic precursors seeded in a carrier gas produces the intermediates, which subsequently expand into vacuum and cool. Ions are extracted into a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and spectra are measured via photofragment spectroscopy. Photodissociation of [HO-Co-CH(3)](+) in the visible and via infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) makes only Co(+) + CH(3)OH, while photodissociation of [H(2)O-Co=CH(2)](+) produces CoCH(2)(+) + H(2)O. The electronic spectrum of [HO-Co-CH(3)](+) shows progressions in the excited state Co-C stretch (335 cm(-1)) and O-Co-C bend (90 cm(-1)); the IRMPD spectrum gives ν(OH) = 3630 cm(-1). The [HO-Co-CH(3)](+)(Ar) complex has been synthesized and its vibrational spectrum measured in the O-H stretching region. The resulting spectrum is sharper than that obtained via IRMPD and gives ν(OH) = 3642 cm(-1). Also, an improved potential energy surface for the reaction of CoO(+) with methane has been developed using single point energies calculated by the CBS-QB3 method for reactants, intermediates, transition states and products.     

Direct ab initio molecular dynamics study on a microsolvated SN2 reaction of OH-(H2O) with CH3Cl

Reaction dynamics for a microsolvated SN2 reaction OH-(H2O)+CH3Cl have been investigated by means of the direct ab initio molecular dynamics method. The relative center-of-mass collision energies were chosen as 10, 15, and 25 kcal/mol. Three reaction channels were found as products. These are (1) a channel leading to complete dissociation (the products are CH3OH+Cl- +H2O: denoted by channel I), (2) a solvation channel (the products are Cl-(H2O)+CH3OH: channel II), and (3) a complex formation channel (the products are CH3OH...H2O+Cl-: channel III). The branching ratios for the three channels were drastically changed as a function of center-of-mass collision energy. The ratio of complete dissociation channel (channel I) increased with increasing collision energy, whereas that of channel III decreased. The solvation channel (channel II) was minor at all collision energies. The selectivity of the reaction channels and the mechanism are discussed on the basis of the theoretical results.