Competition between photodissociation and photoionization in methyl iodide

CH₃I has a number of 5pπ → 6p Rydberg states which can be excited by two-photon absorption from the ground state. These two-photon absorptions have been previously detected by molecular ionization with a third photon. They can also be studied by observation of the VUV fluorescence from neutral photofragments (excited iodine atoms) following absorption of a third photon. Similarly it is found that absorption of one photon at 118 nm (10.5 eV) is followed by dissociation into excited iodine atoms as well as ionization. Iodine atom VUV emission is 2–10 times stronger from CD₃I than from CH₃I.     

Ab initio configuration interaction study of the B- and C-band photodissociation of methyl iodide

Multireference spin-orbit configuration interaction calculations have been carried out for the valence and low-lying Rydberg states of CH(3)I. Potential energy surfaces along the C-I dissociation coordinate (minimal energy paths with respect to the umbrella angle) have been obtained as well as transition moments for excitation of the Rydberg states. It is shown that the B and C absorption bands of CH(3)I are dominated by the perpendicular (3)R(1),(1)R?(E)←X??A(1) transitions, while the (3)R(2)(E),?(3)R(0(+) )(A(1))←X??A(1) transitions are very weak. It is demonstrated that the bound Rydberg states of the B and C bands are predissociated due to the interaction with the repulsive E and A(2) components of the (3)A(1) state, with the (3)A(1)(E) state being the main decay channel. It is predicted that the only possibility to obtain the I((2)P(3/2)) ground state atoms from the CH(3)I photodissociation in the B band is by interaction of the (3)R(1)(E) state with the repulsive (1)Q(E) valence state at excitation energies above 55,000 cm(-1). The calculated ab initio data are used to analyze the influence of the Rydberg state vibrational excitation on the decay process. It is shown that, in contrast to intuition, excitation of the ν(3) C-I stretching mode supresses the predissociation, whereas the ν(6) rocking vibration enhances the predissociation rate.     

Explosive photodissociation of methane induced by ultrafast intense laser

A new type of molecular fragmentation induced by femtosecond intense laser at the intensity of 2 x 10(14) W/cm2 is reported. For the parent molecule of methane, ethylene, n-butane, and 1-butene, fluorescence from H (n = 3-->2), CH (A 2Delta, B 2Sigma-, and C 2Sigma+-->X 2Pi), or C2 (d 3Pi g-->a 3Pi u) is observed in the spectrum. It shows that the fragmentation is a universal property of neutral molecule in the intense laser field. Unlike breaking only one or two chemical bonds in conventional UV photodissociation, the fragmentation caused by the intense laser undergoes vigorous changes, breaking most of the bonds in the molecule, like an explosion. The fragments are neutral species and cannot be produced through Coulomb explosion of multiply charged ion. The laser power dependence of CH (A-->X) emission of methane on a log-log scale has a slope of 10 +/- 1. The fragmentation is thus explained as multiple channel dissociation of the superexcited state of parent molecule, which is created by multiphoton excitation.     

The photodissociation of the water dimer in the A band: a twelve-dimensional quasiclassical study

The quasiclassical absorption spectrum of the water dimer in the A band was calculated taking into account motion in all degrees of freedom of the system. The ab initio excited state potentials employed were interpolated by the modified Shepard interpolation method using QMRCI energies and state-averaged MCSCF gradients and Hessians. The ground state vibrational wavefunction was variationally calculated using an adiabatic separation between the high and low frequency normal modes of the system. The calculated spectrum of water dimer shows a clear blueshift with respect to the monomer, but also a small red tail, in agreement with the prediction by Harvey et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 109, 8747 (1998)]. Previous three-dimensional model studies of the photodissociation of the water dimer by Valenzano et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 123, 034303 (2005)] did not show this red tail. A thorough analysis of the dependence of the spectrum on the modes coupled explicitly in the calculation of the spectrum shows that the red tail is due to coupling between the intramolecular stretch vibrations on different monomers.     

The stability of allyl radicals following the photodissociation of allyl iodide at 193 nm

The photodissociation of allyl iodide (C3H5I) at 193 nm was investigated by using a combination of vacuum-ultraviolet photoionization of the allyl radical, resonant multiphoton ionization of the iodine atoms, and velocity map imaging. The data provide insight into the primary C-I bond fission process and into the dissociative ionization of the allyl radical to produce C3H3+. The experimental results are consistent with the earlier results of Szpunar et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 119, 5078 (2003)], in that some allyl radicals with internal energies higher than the secondary dissociation barrier are found to be stable. This stability results from the partitioning of available energy between the rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom of the radical, the effects of a centrifugal barrier along the reaction coordinate, and the effects of the kinetic shift in the secondary dissociation of the allyl radical. The present results suggest that the primary dissociation of allyl iodide to allyl radicals plus I*(2P(1/2)) is more important than previously suspected.     

Ab initio studies of ultrafast x-ray scattering of the photodissociation of iodine

We computationally examine various aspects of the reaction dynamics of the photodissociation and recombination of molecular iodine. We use our recently proposed formalism to calculate time-dependent x-ray scattering signal changes from first principles. Different aspects of the dynamics of this prototypical reaction are studied, such as coherent and noncoherent processes, features of structural relaxation that are periodic in time versus nonperiodic dissociative processes, as well as small electron density changes caused by electronic excitation, all with respect to x-ray scattering. We can demonstrate that wide-angle x-ray scattering offers a possibility to study the changes in electron densities in nonperiodic systems, which render it a suitable technique for the investigation of chemical reactions from a structural dynamics point of view.     

Exploration for electronic transitions and photodissociation mechanism of hydrogen iodide

The electronic transitions and excited-state fragmentation of hydrogen iodide have been studied within the A-band continuum. The extinction intensity for the excitations from the ground to the low-lying electronic states are derived by performing the wave packet simulations of nuclear dynamics in this study. The quantum yields of the spin-excited I* product at the different photon energies are determined as well. The results suggest that the possibility of intersystem crossing can be neglected. Employing the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), the four highest occupied and the two lowest unoccupied orbitals of hydrogen iodide have been analyzed, and the transition to the state is found to be most probable in the first absorption band.     

The unimolecular dissociation of electronic state-selected methyl iodide cations

Within the context of a recently proposed model, the angle-bending Schrödinger equation for linear molecules is cast in the form of the Legendre equation with an added potential. This is solved by a complete set expansion in terms of associated Legendre functions. The resulting solutions are incorporated into the existing model. Computation of the lower vibrational excitations of HCN is carried out.     

The extraction of lead iodide by methyl iso-propyl ketone

A method is proposed for the isolation of lead by solvent extraction. When solutions of lead ions are treated with excess potassium iodide and hydrochloric acid (5 %), lead iodide is extracted quantitatively by methyl iso-propyl ketone. Employing a preliminary extraction with methyl iso-propyl ketone after conditioning the aqueous solution with ammonium thiocyanate and hydrochloric acid, practically all interferences are eliminated (except Cd and Ru).     

Infrared photodissociation of the benzene dimer. Translational energy distribution of dissociation fragments

The translational energy distribution of benzene produced by the infrared photodissociation of the benzene dimer has been measured and is interpreted in terms of the RRK theory. The average translational energy is 0.6 kJ/mol, which is one sixth of the available energy. The formation of rotationally excited benzene is suggested.     

Raman study of ratational diffusion in methyl iodide

The usefulness of Raman and NMR spin relaxation spectroscopic methods in probing the details of molecular motions in liquids is demonstrated in a study of methyl iodide. Analysis of the lineshape of the ν₃ Raman band of methyl iodide as a function of temperature yields values of the perpendicular component D_⊥ of the diffusion tensor D_i and an activation energy of reorientation perpendicular to the C₃ axis of the molecule of 2.1 kcal/mole. Coupling the Raman data with ²D NMR spin relaxation data yields values of D_| and an activation energy for reorientation about the C₃ axis of 0.4 kcal/mole indicating quasi-free rotation for this motion. Thus the reorientational motions of methyl iodide are shown to be highly anisotropic in the liquid state.     

The ground state potential energy surface of methyl fluoride dimer

Potential energy surface for methyl fluoride dimer has been studied theoretically with ab initio molecular orbital method, using a 4-31G basis set. Dimer dissociation energies, Mulliken electronic populations, and dipole moments were obtained.     

High-resolution slice imaging of quantum state-to-state photodissociation of methyl bromide

The photodissociation of rotationally state-selected methyl bromide is studied in the wavelength region between 213 and 235 nm using slice imaging. A hexapole state selector is used to focus a single (JK=11) rotational quantum state of the parent molecule, and a high speed slice imaging detector measures directly the three-dimensional recoil distribution of the methyl fragment. Experiments were performed on both normal (CH(3)Br) and deuterated (CD(3)Br) parent molecules. The velocity distribution of the methyl fragment shows a rich structure, especially for the CD(3) photofragment, assigned to the formation of vibrationally excited methyl fragments in the nu(1) and nu(4) vibrational modes. The CH(3) fragment formed with ground state Br((2)P(3/2)) is observed to be rotationally more excited, by some 230-340 cm(-1), compared to the methyl fragment formed with spin-orbit excited Br((2)P(1/2)). Branching ratios and angular distributions are obtained for various methyl product states and they are observed to vary with photodissociation energy. The nonadiabatic transition probability for the (3)Q(0+)-->(1)Q(1) transition is calculated from the images and differences between the isotopes are observed. Comparison with previous non-state-selected experiments indicates an enhanced nonadiabatic transition probability for state-selected K=1 methyl bromide parent molecules. From the state-to-state photodissociation experiments the dissociationenergy for both isotopes was determined, D(0)(CH(3)Br)=23 400+/-133 cm(-1) and D(0)(CD(3)Br)=23 827+/-94 cm(-1).     

Electric field effects in the photoionization and photoabsorption of methyl iodide

The effects of relatively high static electric fields (133–6533 V/cm) in the photoionization and photoabsorption of methyl iodide below the first and second ionization limits are reported. As opposed to the minor effect of the field in the photoabsorption, significant changes are observed in the photoionization below the thresholds. The changes induced by the field in the photoionization signal are explained in terms of a simple model based on the absorption spectra and on the photoionization spectrum recorded with the lowest applied field.     

Semiconductor photoinduced cycloreversion of the dimer of methyl 2-naphthoate

The dimer of methyl 2-naphthoate (1) has been found to undergo efficient cyclorever-sion to its monomer, methyl naphtha)ene-2-carboxylate (2) on illuminated ZnO and TiO2 but not on CdS. An electron transfer and cation radical chain mechanism is proposed. Quantum yields, solvent effect, the role of oxygen, and the quenching of the reaction were investigated, and were consistent with the proposed mechanism.     

Raman scattering investigation of the orientational dynamics of methyl iodide

A Raman scattering study of the v₃ vibration—rotation band in methyl iodide as a function of temperature and dilution (in cyclohexane) has been performed. All the data satisfy the second moment criterion. Detailed information about rotational correlation function, angular velocity correlation function, various correlation times and mean-square torque has been obtained. The correlation function, in the pure liquid, decays slowly with decrease in temperature whereas it decays faster with decreasing concentration in cyclohexane. It has been shown, from a consideration of the second moment as a function of concentration, that the contribution of collision-induced scattering to the v₃ band of methyl iodide is negligible. Applicability of a simple “damped librator model”, with a view to understanding certain aspects of the rotational motion in methyl iodide, is discussed.     

Reaction of methyl iodide with organylethynyl silatranylmethyl chalcogenides

The reactivity of organylethynyl silatranylmethyl chalcogenides RC=CYCH₂Si(OCH₂CH₂)₃N (R=Ph, Me₃Si; Y=S, Se, Te) in the reaction with methyl iodide depending on the nature of the chalcogen Y, the substituent R at the triple bond, and the reaction conditions was studied. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2550–2551, December, 1998.     

Selective encapsulation of volatile and reactive methyl iodide

A simple organic molecular container can selectively encapsulate the volatile and highly reactive MeI through hydrogen-bonding interactions in solution. The remarkable encapsulation of MeI without self-methylation of the container appears to be determined by the complementary binding sites and the rigidity of the hydrogen-bonding array constrained by the molecular framework.