Excitation and emission spectra of jet-cooled naphthylmethyl radicals

Gas phase excitation and emission spectra of three naphthylmethyl radical chromophores are presented. These resonance-stabilized species, 1-naphthylmethyl, 2-naphthylmethyl, and α-acenaphthenyl, each possessing an sp(2) carbon adjacent to a naphthalene moiety, are studied by resonant two-color two-photon ionization, laser induced fluorescence, and dispersed fluorescence spectroscopy. Identification of the radicals is made through a combination of dispersed fluorescence and density functional theory calculations. All three species possess spectra in the 580 nm region. The possible relevance to unidentified spectroscopic features such as the diffuse interstellar bands and emission from the Red Rectangle nebula is discussed.