Case studies in multiphoton ionisation and dissociation of Na2

Dissociative ionisation of Na₂ via the 3s 3d ¹Σ _g and¹Π _g states has been studied in the near threshold energy regime up to 120 meV above the three particle (Na⁺ + Na(3s) +e ^?) break up limit. A pulsed, cold molecular beam, pulsed laser 2 colour 3 photon resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionisation, and kinetic energy analysis of the fragments by a time of flight method (KETOF) is used. As series of vibrational levels in the two intermediate 3s 3d Rydberg states are excited, slow Na⁺ fragments are observed with a maximum kinetic energy given by the excess energy of the 2 + 1 photon process above threshold, thus confirming a direct dissociative ionisation process. The intensity distribution of the Na⁺ fragments shows a very pronounced maximum at zero kinetic energy, its shape differing somewhat for the¹Σ _g and¹Π _g intermediate states. Also observed is a strong signal of fast fragments arising from a typical 4 photon process which leads to dissociation of Na ₂ ⁺ molecules in their electronic ground state.     

Femtosecond spectroscopy of the (2)1Σ u + double minimum state of Na2: time domain and frequency spectroscopy

Femtosecond time resolved pump-probe experiments studying wave packet dynamics in the (2)¹Σ _u ⁺ double minimum state of Na₂ are reported. The experiments were performed in a molecular beam with ion Time of Flight (TOF) detection. By Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) of the observed time domain data the energy spacings of the coherently coupled vibrational levels in the (2)¹Σ _u ⁺ potential are obtained with an accuracy of 0.02 cm^?1, although an ultrafast laser source with its inherent spectral width was used in the experiment. The wavelengths of the pump and probe laser pulses are chosen such that in this two color experiment we can control ionisation versus ionisation induced fragmentation. In order to study the influence of the potential barrier on a vibrational wave packet motion we performed simulations based on time dependent quantum calculations.     

Reactivity of collisionally activated dichlorocarbene dications studied by tandem mass spectrometry

The dissociation mechanisms of dichlorocarbene dications following collisional activation have been investigated via tandem mass spectrometric techniques and semi-empirical calculations. Three channels appear to be significant: {fx1019-1} The second channel becomes dominant at high internal energy. Production of ground state fragments (channel 1) involves a transition driven by spin—orbit coupling from the CCl ₂ ²⁺ $CCl_2^2 \tilde X^1 \Sigma _g^ + $ state to the CCl ₂ ^2? ā³Σ _u ^? state en route to the fragments. The dissociation barrier for the production of ground state fragments from the ground electronic state of CCl ₂ ²⁺ via the spin—orbit-induced transition is equal to 420 kJ mol^?1. The dissociation pathway that corresponds to channel 3 includes a first isomerization step from the linear Cl-C-Cl²⁺ structure to a bent Cl-Cl-C²⁺ connectivity. The calculated isomerization barrier amounts to 550 kJ mol^?1. The calculated reverse activation barriers are compatible with the measured kinetic energy released on the fragments.     

Double ionisation of ICN and BrCN studied by a new photoelectron–photoion coincidence technique

A double time-of-flight technique is described, whereby any number of electrons and ions produced by photoionisation can be detected in coincidence, with energy analysis for the electrons and mass analysis for the ions. Branching ratios, kinetic energy releases and mechanisms in doubly charged ion decays can be measured with selection of the initial double ionisation energy. The new technique, together with spectroscopy by the recently established time-of-flight photoelectron–photoelectron coincidence (TOF-PEPECO) method, is used to study the spectra and dissociation dynamics of ICN⁺⁺ and BrCN⁺⁺.     

Electron‐induced dissociation of doubly protonated betaine clusters: controlling fragmentation chemistry through electron energy

The [M₂₁+2H]²⁺ cluster of the zwitterion betaine, M = (CH₃)₃NCH₂CO₂, formed via electrospray ionisation (ESI), has been allowed to interact with electrons with energies ranging from >0 to 50 eV in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT‐ICR) mass spectrometer. The types of gas‐phase electron‐induced dissociation (EID) reactions observed are dependent on the energy of the electrons. In the low‐energy region up to 10 eV, electrons are mainly captured, forming the charge‐reduced species, {[M₂₁+2H]^{+ .} }*, in an excited state, which stabilises via the ejection of an H atom and one or more neutral betaines. In the higher energy region, above 12 eV, a Coulomb explosion of the multiply charged clusters is observed in highly asymmetric fission with singly charged fragments carrying away more than 70% of the parent mass. Neutral betaine evaporation is also observed in this energy region. In addition, a series of singly charged fragments appears which arise from C? X bond cleavage reactions, including decarboxylation and CH₃ group transfer. These latter reactions may arise from access of electronic excited states of the precursor ions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetic-energy spectroscopy of high-rydberg fragments from keV collisions of H2+, D2+, N2+ and C2+ ions with rare-gas atoms

A method for measuring the kinetic-energy spectrum of high-Rydberg fragments from collisions of keV molecular ions with rare-gas atoms is described. The kinetic-energy spectra of high-Rydberg fragments from the collisions between D₂⁺, H₂⁺, N₂⁺ and C₂⁺ ions having 8 keV kinetic energy and thermal He and Xe are reported. Two single-collision processes for the generation of high-Rydberg fragments have been identified.     

Ion-Velocity Map Imaging Study of Photodissociation Dynamics of Acetaldehyde

The photodissociation dynamics of acetaldehyde in the radical channel CH3＋HCO has been reinvestigated using time-sliced velocity map imaging technique in the photolysis wavelength range of 275-321 nm. The CH3 fragments have been probed via （2＋1） resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization. Images are measured for CH3 formed in the ground and excited states （v2=0 and 1） of the umbrella vibrational mode. For acetaldehyde dissociation on T1 state after intersystem crossing from S1 state, the products are formed with high translational energy release and low internal excitation. The rotational and vibrational energy of both fragments increases with increasing photodissociation energy. The triplet barrier height is estimated at 3.8814-0.006 eV above the ground state of acetaldehyde.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy of sodium chloride anions with two excess electrons

Photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of (NaCl)_nNa^? (n=1–13, except n=10) are reported. The observed electron energy spectra fall into three distinct types, reflecting different correlations between the two excess electrons and ions. Depending on the host clusters' structures, the experimental evidence indicates that the two excess electrons in these sodium chloride clusters could be spin paired, forming a bipolaron or a Na^? anion. The two excess electrons could also be spin parallel, forming a double F-center state.     

Photodissociation of Dibromobenzenes at 266 nm by the Velocity Imaging Technique

A velocity imaging technique combined with (2+1) resonance‐enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) is used to detect the primary Br(²P_3/2) fragment in the photodissociation of o‐, m‐, and p‐dibromobenzene at 266 nm. The obtained translational energy distributions suggest that the Br fragments are produced via two dissociation channels. For o‐ and m‐dibromobenzene, the slow channel that yields an anisotropy parameter close to zero is proposed to stem from excitation of the lowest excited singlet (π,π*) state followed by predissociation along a repulsive triplet (n,σ*) state localized on the C? Br bond. The fast channel that gives rise to an anisotropy parameter of 0.53–0.73 is attributed to a bound triplet state with smaller dissociation barrier. For p‐dibromobenzene, the dissociation rates are reversed, because the barrier for the bound triplet state becomes higher than the singlet–triplet crossing energy. The fractions of translational energy release are determined to be 6–8 and 29–40 % for the slow and fast channels, respectively; the quantum yields are 0.2 and 0.8, and are insensitive to the position of the substituent. The Br fragmentation from bromobenzene and bromofluorobenzenes at the same photolyzing wavelength is also compared to understand the effect of the number of halogen atoms on the phenyl ring.     

Ab initio study of the reaction mechanism of water dissociation into the ionic species OH− and H3O+

A reaction mechanism of water dissociation is proposed where solvent effects are accounted for via a minimum stable model that considers the interaction of five water molecules. It is based on the fully self-consistent field (SCF) optimized structures of the reactant, product, and transition state, the calculations being at the Hartree–Fock and configuration interaction level [Møller–Plesset second-order perturbation (MP2) and coupled-cluster single and double excitations (CCSD)]. They were performed with four different basis sets that included polarized and diffuse orbitals. The dissociative mechanism leads to the ionic species OH⁻+H₃O⁺ as stable products and upon analysis of the energy hypersurface, a transition state is found which yields an activation barrier of 21.2 kcal/mol. This value is in good agreement with the experimentally determined enthalpy for the reaction. The contribution of the aggregation energy is emphasized. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 68: 253–259, 1998     

Isomerization and fragmentation of methylfuran ions and pyran ions in the gas phase

The mutual interconversion of the molecular ions [C₅H₆O]⁺ of 2-methylfuran (1), 3-methylfuran (2) and 4H-pyran (3) before fragmentation to [C₅H₅O]⁺ ions has been studied by collisional activation spectrometry, by deuterium labelling, by the kinetic energy release during the fragmentation, by appearance energles and by a MNDO calculation of the minimum energy reaction path. The electron impact and collisional activation mass spectra show clearly that the molecular ions of 1–3 do not equilibrate prior to fragmentation, but that mostly pyrylium ions [C₅H₅O]⁺ arise by the loss of a H atom. This implies an irreversible isomerization of methylfuran ions 1 and 2 into pyran ions before fragmentation, in contrast to the isomerization of the related systems toluene ions/cycloheptatriene ions. Complete H/D scrambling is observed in deuterated methylfuran ions prior to the H/D loss that is associated with an iostope effect k_H/k_D = 1.67–2.16 for metastable ions. In contrast, no H/D scrambling has been observed in deuterated 4H-pyran ions. However, the loss of a H atom from all metastable [C₅H₅O]⁺ ions gives rise to a flat-topped peak in the mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectrum and a kinetic energy release (T₅₀) of 26 ± 1.5 kJ mol^?1. The MNDO calculation of the minimum energy reaction path reveals that methylfuran ions 1 and 2 favour a rearrangement into pyran ions before fragmentation into furfuryl ions, but that the energy barrier of the first rearrangement step is at least of the same height as the barrier for the dissociation of pyran ions into pyrylium ions. This agrees with the experimental results.     

Dissociative ionisation of CS2 and the formation of S2+

Photoelectron–photoion coincidence spectroscopy has been used to examine dissociative ionisation of CS₂ from electronic states of CS₂⁺ up to 27 eV, including the satellite states 3, 4, 6 and 10 whose decay has not been studied before. Branching ratios to the ions S⁺, CS⁺, S₂⁺ and C⁺ have been determined throughout the range and kinetic energy release distributions have been deduced from peak shapes, allowing inferences on the states of the fragments. The choice of product channel is not strongly dependent on initial parent ion state identity. The products are formed in many different final states, but kinetic energy releases less than 3 eV are favoured, corresponding to formation of highly excited states of the products. In confirmation, optical emission has been found in coincidence with photoelectrons from formation of several inner valence states of the ions. Formation of S₂⁺ occurs from several initial states of the parent ion and possible mechanisms are considered. It is concluded that a “quasi-statistical” model may best describe the dissociation of CS₂⁺ from the inner valence states.     

13C-NMR. Spectra of Pteridines

¹³C-NMR. spectra of pterin, xanthopterin, isoxanthopterin, leucopterin, lumazine and of the model compounds isocytosine and desamino-isocytosine have been measured as anions and cations in 1 M NaOD, CF₃COOH, H₂SO₄ and FSO₃H solutions. The spectra were analysed by means of heteronuclear double resonance, with the aid of non-decoupled spectra, and by spectral comparison. The results are interpreted in terms of the ionisation state of the pteridines in the four solvents and are compared with those obtained from ¹H-NMR. spectroscopy.     

Inter- and intra-annular proton exchange in gaseous benzylbenzenium ions (protonated diphenylmethane)

Two distinct proton exchange reactions occur in metastable gaseous benzylbenzenium ions, generated by isobutane chemical ionization of diphenylmethane and four deuterium-labelled analogues. Whereas the proton ring-walk at the benzenium moiety is fast giving rise to a completely random intraannular proton exchange, the interannular proton exchange is surprisingly slow and competes with the elimination of benzene. A kinetic isotope effect of k_H/k_D= 5 has been determined for the interannular proton transfer, and a particularly high energy barrier of 50–75 kJ mol^?1 has been estimated. These observations are attributed to steric restrictions of the ring-to-ring proton transfer in benzylbenzenium ions and contrasted to the fast interannular proton exchange in the higher homologues.     

Translational spectroscopy of N+ fragments from 5 keV collision-induced dissociation of N2+ ions by helium

Collision-induced dissociation of a 5–10 keV N₂⁺ beam impinging on a helium target has been reinvestigated by translational spectroscopy. The laboratory kinetic energy distribution of N⁺ fragments exhibits height structures on a continuum. They correspond to N⁺ and N fragments ejected in the c.m. frame with kinetic energies W of 4.75, 6.4, 6.8 and 8.1 eV and they are interpreted as transitions into excited states of N₂⁺ lying at more than 30 eV above the ground state of N₂. The experimental W distribution extending over 12 eV is compared to distributions calculated using the model of vertical Franck—Condon electronic excitation with different assumptions for the initial and final states.     

The muonium bond

Muonium is a light isotope of hydrogen, so light that in strong hydrogen bonds its zero-point energy is close to or above the energy barrier; this favours the formation of symmetrical muonium bonds. In water, muons will exist as Mu(H₂O)₆⁺ in contrast to H(H₂O)₄⁺; the stability of this species will slow the exchange of Mu and H. With alkenes and alkynes, muons will preferentially form non-classical complexes because of their lower zero-point energy in weak bonds: in liquids, a muon will attach two molecules via a symmetrical muonium bond.     

Hydrogen-bonded liquid crystals built from hydrogen-bonding donors and acceptors. Infrared study on the stability of the hydrogen bond between carboxylic acid and pyridyl moieties

Abstract

The stability of a hydrogen-bonded complex built through inter-molecular hydrogen bonding between carboxylic acid and pyridine fragments has been examined using infrared spectroscopy. Infrared spectra as a function of temperature have been recorded for the 1:1 complex of 4-hexyloxybenzoic acid and trans-4-propoxy-4′-stilbazole from the crystalline state to the isotropic state. A dependence of the stability of the hydrogen bond on molecular orientation is observed clearly in the infrared spectra. The spectra also suggest that the hydrogen bond is an unionized type with a double minimum potential energy.     

Mechanisms of conformational chirality inversion in bicyclo[4.2.1]nonan-9-one and bicyclo[4.2.2]decane as studied in two-parametric torsional energy surfaces

With the purpose of deciphering conformational inversion processes of typical mobile bicyclic molecules, torsional energy surfaces near the enantiomers of bicyclo[4.2.1]nonan-9-one ( 1 ) and bicyclo-[4.2.2]decane ( 2 ) were prepared using molecular mechanics with an improved two-bond drive technique. Inversion of 1 takes place most favorably via a C_s transition state with the tetramethylene chain over the ethano bridge [ 1B , ΔH^± 6.1 (calculated) vs. 6.8 (observed) kcal/mol]. An alternative pathway involving a C_s local energy minimum ( 1C ), in which the tetramethylene chain is bent over the carbonyl, has a barrier 2.4 kcal higher than 1B . The global energy minimum conformation of 2 has boat–chair cyclooctane and twist–boat cyclohexane rings (BCTB ), and enantiomerizes into its mirror image (BCTB ') via three intermediates: TCTB , CB , and TCTB '. The highest point in the proposed pathway, a saddlepoint CB , is calculated to lie 8.0 kcal/mol above BCTB (observed ΔH^± 7.8 kcal/mol). The advantage of the two-parametric over the one-parametric torsional energy surface is discussed.     

Isomerization and fragmentation of methyl benzofuran ions and chromene ions in the gas phase

The rearrangement of the molecular ions of the isomeric 2- and 3-methyl benzofurans (1 and 2), 2H-chromene (3) and 4H-chromene (4) has been studied as a further example of the isomerization of oxygen-heteroaromatic radical cations via a ring expansion/ring contraction mechanism well documented for molecular ions of alkyl benzenes. The ions 1⁺˙?4⁺˙ fragment mainly by H loss into identical chromylium ions a. The process exhibits consistently a large kinetic energy release and an isotope effect k_H/k_D, which arise from a rate-determining energy barrier of the last dissociation step. Differences of the kinetic energy releases, the isotope effects and the appearance energies of the methyl benzofuran ions and the chromene ions indicate a large energy barrier also for the initial hydrogen migration during the rearrangement of the methyl benzofuran ions. This is substantiated by an MNDO calculation of the minimum energy reaction path. In contrast to the behaviour of alkyl benzene ions, a unidirectional isomerization of the methyl benzofuran ions by ring expansion takes place but no mutual interconversion of the molecular ions of methyl benzofurans and chromenes.