Atmospheric chemistry of HFE-7000 (i-C3F7OCH3) and isofluoro-propyl formate (i-C3F7OC(O)H): reactions with OH radicals,atmospheric lifetime and fate of alkoxy radical (i-C3F7OCH2O•) – a DFT study

ABSTRACT

The mechanism of hydrogen abstraction reaction between HFE-7000 (i-C₃F₇OCH₃) and OH radicals using M06-2X functional in conjunction with 6-31+G(d,p) basis set is investigated. The pre-reactive and post-reactive complexes from intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations are validated at entrance and exit channels, respectively. The standard enthalpies of formation for the species and bond dissociation energy for C–H bond are also estimated. The rate constants of the titled reactions over the temperature range of 250–450 K are reported. The OH-driven atmospheric life time of i-HFE-7000 is computed to be 3.19 years. The atmospheric fate of the alkoxy radical (i-C₃F₇OCH₂O^?) is also explored here for the first time. Three prominent plausible decomposition channels including oxidation are considered in detail. The thermochemical data reveal that reaction with O₂ is the dominant path for the decomposition of i-C₃F₇OCH₂O^? radical. Moreover, rate constant for the OH-initiated hydrogen abstraction of isofluoro-propyl formate (i-C₃F₇OC(O)H) is also reported.     

Minimization of the photolysis-driven density gradients by slow pumping in the iodine laser amplifier with regard to the beam quality

The UV photolytical pumping of perfluoralkyl iodides C₃F₇I in the large atomic iodine laser amplifier gives rise to density waves in the gas mixture. The increasing gas temperature during photolysis contributes to the increase of the sound wave velocities. Our calculations of the time interval during which the influence of the oscillating part of the gradient of the refractive index on the focusability was at a minimum was made at a constant gas temperature, which was regarded as a parameter. The results are given in a nomographic chart for various parts of He and SF₆ in gas mixture and for various laser tube diameters. The applicability of a heavier buffer gas-argon and a lighter iodine CF₃I considering the sound waves velocities was investigated.The authors wish to thank dr. K. Rohlena for many useful discussions.     

High resolution study of anion formation in low-energy electron attachment to SF<Subscript>6</Subscript> molecules in a seeded supersonic beam

Using two variants of the Laser Photoelectron Attachment (LPA) method involving a differentially-pumped, seeded supersonic beam (0.05% and 12.5% of SF₆ molecules in helium carrier gas, nozzle temperatures T₀= 300–600 K, stagnation pressures p₀= 1–5 bar) and mass spectrometric ion detection, we have investigated the energy dependence of anion formation in low-energy electron collisions with SF₆ molecules at high energy resolution. Using the standard LPA method, the yield for SF₆^- as well as SF₅^- and F^- anions was studied with an energy width around 1 meV over the electron energy range 0–200 meV. In addition, a variant of the LPA method with extended energy range (denoted as EXLPA) was developed and applied to measure the yield for SF₆^- and SF₅^- formation over the energy range 0–1.5 eV with an energy width of about 20 meV. The cross-section for formation of SF₆^- decreases by five orders of magnitude over the range 1–500 meV and is only weakly dependent on nozzle temperature. The yield for SF₅^- formation shows — apart from a weak zero energy peak which grows strongly with rising temperature — a broad maximum (located around 0.6 eV for T₀= 300 K and shifting to lower energies with rising T₀) and a monotonical decrease towards higher energies. SF₅^- attachment spectra taken at elevated temperatures exhibit changes with rising stagnation pressure which directly reflect rovibrational cooling of the SF₆ molecules with rising pressure. The SF₅^-/SF₆^- intensity ratio at near-zero energy and the low-energy shape of the broad peak in the SF₅^- spectra are used as thermometers for the internal temperature of the SF₆ molecules in the seeded supersonic beam which (at p₀= 1 bar) are found to be 50–100 K lower than the nozzle temperature. The energy dependence of the yield for F^- formation is similar to that for SF₆^-, but the F^- signals are three to four orders of magnitude lower than those for SF₆^-; in view of the rather high endothermicity of F^- formation the origin of the F^- signals is discussed in some detail.     

A KrF fast discharge laser in mixtures containing NF3, N2F4 or SF6

A fast discharge KrF laser system (λ = 248.5 nm) has been operated at 25 mJ/pulse, 3.0 MW peak power in high pressure He: Kr: fluoride mixtures containing low concentrations of both krypton and the fluorine donors N₂F₄, NF₃ and SF₆. Lasing action is reported for the first time in N₂F₄ and SF₆ with optimum energy output at 750 and 160 mJ/l respectively.     

Measurements of thermal electron attachment rate coefficients to molecules using an electron swarm technique

An existing electron swarm apparatus has been redesigned and upgraded. In particular, the new design incorporates a novel planar radioactive foil to form an integral part of the drift tube, allowing us to overcome inherent problems present in our earlier system which used a cylindrical radioactive source. In addition to this, substantial upgrades have been made to improve the gating and amplification electronics and the data acquisition system. This has resulted in a much greater signal to noise ratio and improved accuracy. This paper describes the upgraded apparatus and its use in obtaining thermal (300 K) attachment rate coefficients to a number of molecules. The quality of the measurements and data are illustrated through the measurement of the thermal attachment rate coefficient for SF₆ (k_th(SF₆) = (2.38 ±0.15 ) ×10 ^-7 cm³ s^-1). Thermal electron attachment rate coefficients for four other molecules are presented, namely for two derivatives of SF₆, SF₅CF₃ and SF₅Cl, and two perfluorocarbons, c-C₄F₈ and 2-C₄F₈.     

Room Temperature Solution ENDOR of some Super Stable Fluorocarbon Radicals

Room temperature fluorine electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) has been successfully observed for several superstable fluorocarbon radicals ·C(C₂F₄R)(i-C₃F₇)₂ in solution. Three radicals were employed in which CF₃, F, and O-c-C₆F₁₀SO₃C₂F₅ were introduced as R, and all the hyperfine couplings (hfcs) obtained by ENDOR were assigned with the help of ESR simulation and ab initio MO calculation. In case of ·C(i-C₃F₇)₃ large ¹³C and considerable β-fluorine couplings suggest the nonplaner arrangement for the central and three carbons at the β-position, in spite of the fact that all the methyl fluorine show the same hfc. Therefore, a rapid puckering motion along the C₃ axis together with the methyl rotation should average the hfc’s of the 18 fluorine nuclei to give the same value. When one of the CF₃ groups is substituted with an F nucleus, the five CF₃ groups give two hfc values, suggesting some dynamics still exists for the molecular frame. When a large group, O-c-C₆F₁₀SO₃C₂F₅, is substituted for CF₃, all the five CF₃ groups become nonequivalent and the ENDOR signal becomes intensive and sharp even at 290 K, indicating that the molecular frame becomes rigid. The relation between the ENDOR spectra of these systems and the intramolecular dynamics is discussed.     

Pressure-broadened iodine-laser-amplifier kinetics and a comparison of diluent effectiveness

An iodine laser kinetic model is used to investigate inversion parameters in highly pressure-broadened amplifier systems using i-C₃F₇I as the parent compound and CO₂, N₂, He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe as the diluent gas. These data are used to calculate a diluent merit function for diluent pressures P_d = 1–100 atm. The most effective choices for buffer gases are as follows: P_d ? 1 atm, CO₂; 1 atm ? P_d ? 10 atm, Ar; and P_d ? 10 atm, Ne.     

Collisional enhancement of the I(52P12) emission at 1.3μm by parent molecules CF3I,C2F5I,i-C3F7I and n-C3F7I

The magnetic dipole transition I(5²P_{$\text{1}\text{2}$}-5²P_{$\text{3}\text{2}$}) at 1.3152 μm is shown to be enhanced by collisions of the metastable iodine atoms with the parent RI molecules CF₃I, C₂F₅I, i-C₃F₇I and n-C₃F₇I. The enhancing mechanism is exciplex emission of the RI·I(5²P_{$\text{1}\text{2}$}) molecule at 1.3 μm, with different rates for each iodide. The influence of this effect on the measurement of the quantum yields to I(5²P_{$\text{1}\text{2}$}) and of the respective reaction rates by infrared fluorescence is discussed.     

Reactions of excited I*(2P1/2) and unexcited I(2P3/2) iodine atoms in perfluoroalkyl radicals

A method of investigating reactions of excited and unexcited atoms is discussed. It is based on pulsed photolysis of molecules with simultaneous passage of laser radiation through the working medium. The method proposed is used to investigate the reactions that accompany the photolysis of the molecules RI(CF₃I, n-C₃F₇I, i-C₃F₇I). The rate constants of the recombination of iodine atoms into I₂ in the presence of RI molecules are calculated for the atoms I(²P_3/2) and I*(²P_1/2), as are the recombination constants of the radicals R into R₂ and with the atoms I*(²P_1/2) and I(²P_3/2) into the RI molecule. It is shown that the I(²P_3/2) atoms are much more active in the recombination into Ia and RI than the I*(²P_1/2) atoms. The role of the investigated reactions in the kinetics of a photodissociation iodine laser (PDIL) is discussed. The results are compared with the published data.     

ESR study on the structure of the ethylene radical cation stabilized in frozen SF6 and some fluoroalkanes: An evidence for a twisted structure

ESR spectra of the ethylene radical cation were detected at cryogenic temperatures in SF₆, C₂F₆ and C₃F₈. From the unusually small hyperfine couplings estimated for¹H and¹³C, it has been shown that the ethylene radical cation has a non-planar structure with a torsional angle in the range of 8°–23°. Upon annealing the sample at a temperature above 93 K, the ethylene radical cation in SF₆ changed into a monofluoroethyl radical through charge recombination with fluoride anion or SF ₆ ^? .     

HF-laser performance of CO2-laser-ignited mixtures of SF6 :H2 and of S2F10 :H2

We have used a CO₂ laser to ignite mixtures of SF₆ :H₂ and S₂F₁₀ :H₂. We observed HF lasing from these mixtures when an optical resonator was constructed around the reaction cell. The HF-lasing performance of the two mixtures was compared as a function of mixture ratio, fluorine-donor pressure, and CO₂-laser frequency. Under comparable conditions, the HF-laser output for S₂F₁₀ :H₂ mixtures was typically 5–6 times greater than that for SF₆ :H₂ mixtures. Spectral output of the HF laser was coarsely resolved to provide data about the vibrational and rotational states of the HF molecule.     

Iron Halide Species Produced by Laser-Evaporation

Iron halide species were produced by the reaction of laser-evaporated iron atoms with halogen-containing reactant gas, and isolated in low-temperature matrices to obtain their Mössbauer spectra. Iron fluoride (Fe₂F₆, FeF₃ and Fe₂F₄) and iron iodide (FeI₂ and Fe₂I₄) were produced by the reaction of laser-evaporated iron atoms with sulfur hexafluoride SF₆ and methyl iodide CH₃I, respectively. The yields of the products varied depending on the concentration of reactant gas in the Ar matrix. Molecular orbital calculations were performed in order to confirm their assignments.     

MULTIPHOTON IONIZATION MASS SPECTRA OF n-C3H7I AND i-C3H7I AT 532 nm

Multiphoton Ionization (MP) Mass Spectra of n-C₃H₇I AND i-C₃H₇I are obtained using a time-offlight mass spectrometer at 532 nm. No parentions are observed in MPI of both isomers. N-propyl cation dissociates more extensively than isopropyl cation. The C₂H⁺₅(M/Z=29) ion is observed instead of C₂H⁺₄(M/Z=28) ion in MPI of n-C₃H₇I, in contrast to i-C₃H₇I. It is found that parent molecules are first two-photon resonantly excited to A-band, then go through dissociation. Fragment ions are produced by ionization and dissociation of neutral fragments. We present directly the diss ociation pathways of n-propyl cation according to the results proposed by Levine using maximum entropy formalism. Moreover, those of isopropyl cation are discussed in this paper through branching ratio analyses.     

Photolysis of SF6 adsorbed on Si(111)-7 × 7 by monochromatic soft X-ray

Continuous-time photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and photon-exposure-dependent photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) were employed to investigate the monochromatic soft X-ray-induced dissociation of SF₆ molecules adsorbed on Si(111)-7 × 7 at 30 K (SF₆ dose = 3.4 × 10¹³ molecules/cm², ～ 0.5 monolayer). The photon-induced evolution of adsorbed SF₆ was monitored at photon energies of 98 and 120 eV [near the Si(2p) edge], and sequential valence-level PES spectra made it possible to deduce the photolysis cross section as a function of energy. It was found that the photolysis cross sections for 98 and 120 eV photons are ～ 2.7 × 10^? 17 and ～ 3.7 × 10^?17 cm², respectively. The changes in the F^? and F⁺ PSD ion yields were also measured during irradiation of 120 eV photons. The photon-exposure dependencies of the F^? and F⁺ ion yields show the characteristics: (a) the dissociation of adsorbed SF₆ molecules is ascribable to the substrate-mediated dissociations [dissociative attachment (DA) and dipolar dissociation (DD) induced by the photoelectrons emitting from the silicon substrate]; (b) at early stages of photolysis, the F^? yield is mainly due to DA and DD of the adsorbed SF₆ molecules, while at high photon exposure the F^? formation by electron capture of the F⁺ ion is likely to be the dominant mechanism; (c) the F⁺ ion desorption is associated with the bond breaking of the surface SiF species; (d) the surface SiF is formed by reaction of the surface Si atom with the fluorine atom or F^? ion produced by scission of S–F bond of SF_n (n = 1–6) species.     

Importance of pre-ionisation for the non-chain discharge-pumped HF laser

The importance of pre-ionisation for the non-chain discharge-pumped HF laser is studied through experiments on an X-ray photo-triggered laser using mixtures of Ne, SF₆, and ethane. The discharge dynamic in Ne/SF₆ mixtures or pure SF₆, as well as the stabilisation effect induced by C₂H₆ and consequences for the laser performance, are investigated for pre-ionisation electron density values, n_eo, ranging from 10⁶ cm^-3 up to 10⁹ cm^-3, as well as for the so-called discharge self-breakdown mode. Without ethane, the minimum n_eo value which is needed to complete 100% homogeneous charge deposition in the plasma is a very sharply increasing function of the SF₆ pressure. This hinders performance optimisation when the molecule used to react with F-atoms, for instance H₂, has no effect on the discharge dynamic. The minimum ethane partial pressure that is needed to stabilise the discharge depends on n_eo, the pumping pulse duration, the deposited electric charge, and the SF₆ pressure. Discharges in Ne/SF₆ can be much more efficiently stabilised by addition of a small amount of ethane than by an increase of n_eo. A pre-ionisation density as low as 10⁶ cm^-3 is sufficient to achieve the maximum laser energy value, but total suppression of the pre-ionisation has a detrimental effect on the active medium homogeneity. Received: 30 May 2000 / Revised version: 9 October 2000 / Published online: 9 February 2001     

Efficiency of the barrier-discharge UV Xe: SF6 lamp

The efficiency of the barrier-discharge UV lamp filled with a Xe/SF₆ = 50: 1 mixture is studied as a function of the pressure in the mixture (ranging from 40 to 180 Torr) and electrode distance (3–11 mm). It is shown that, if the product pd is constant, the power of the discharge and the intensity of the UV radiation (354 nm) decrease with increasing pressure and shrinking the electrode gap. The maximal efficiency of the lamp (6–8%) is reached in the pressure range 30–50 Torr.     

Argon matrix Raman and infrared spectra of SF5Cl,SF5Br,and S2F10

Infrared and laser-excited Raman spectra of SF₅Cl, SF₅Br, and S₂F₁₀ have been observed in dilute argon matrices and in the solid phase at 8 K. The first vibrational assignment of the SF₅Br molecule and assignments for the ν(SCl), ν(SBr), and ν(SS) modes in SF₅Cl, SF₅Br, and S₂F₁₀ are presented. The chlorine isotopic components of the SCl stretch in SF₅Cl have been resolved. The Raman spectrum of SF₅Br, which has not been reported previously, is discussed.     

The effects of surface terminal bonds and microstructure of SiO2 aerogel films on dry etching

The effects of microstructure and surface terminal bonds of SiO₂ aerogel films on dry etching were investigated using Ar, SF₆, and C₂F₆ plasma gases. With Ar plasma etching, physical effect of ion bombardment on porous film was found. In residue-free SF₆ plasma etching, reactive etchant transport and high-mass ion bombardment were observed. With C₂F₆ plasma etching, fluorocarbon residue layer was revealed to maintain surface morphology as acting a barrier to radical transport and ion bombardment. An etching of 450°C-annealed SiO₂ aerogel showed that a dense surface induced the decrease in reaction area, inhibition of etchant transport, and then uniform etching.     

Growth of van der Waals clusters in steady supersonic Laval nozzle flow: change in number density of SF6 monomers undergoing clustering

A mixture of SF₆ (4% molar fraction) and inert Ar gas was continuously fed into a plane-symmetric guided Laval nozzle. The clustering of SF₆ was observed using an FT-IR spectrometer in the nozzle flow (optical pathlength: 10 mm). The density and vibrational temperature of the SF₆ monomers were experimentally determined from the absorption peaks of the monomers. We theoretically calculated the density of the SF₆ monomers as a function of distance from the throat of the nozzle using a cluster formation model based on the RRK (Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel) theory to represent the dynamics of dissociation of the vibrationally excited clusters. We found that the model adequately simulated the decrease in SF₆ monomers and 10 collisions of the vibrationally excited SF₆ clusters with Ar atoms were necessary for the stabilization of the clusters under our experimental conditions. Received: 20 June 2000 / Revised version: 26 October 2000 / Published online: 21 February 2001