The Electronic Structure of Cubane (C8H8) as Revealed by Photoelectron Spectroscopy

High resolution He (Iα) and He (IIα) photoelectron spectra of cubane are reported. The assignments of the bands to different states of the cubane radical cation are made on the basis of ab initio STO-3G and MINDO/3 calculations, using geometries optimized within each treatment. The vibrational fine-structure observed supports the proposed assignment. An open shell MINDO/3 model for ground state cubane radical cation suggests that the Jahn-Teller distorted system fluctuates between twelve equivalent structures of C_2v-symmetry. Localized molecular orbitals derived from the STO-3G model of cubane indicate that the major feature which discriminates this molecule with respect to other hydrocarbons is the large interaction matrix element between the opposed CC-σ-orbitals of each face.