On the interaction of electrons with betaine zwitterions

Betaine is a permanent zwitterion. The molecular betaine anion has been generated in a hybrid, infrared desorption-electron photoemission source and its photoelectron spectrum recorded. The photoelectron spectrum of the betaine anion is characteristic of a dipole bound anion, and its vertical detachment energy was measured to be 0.29+/-0.03 eV. Calculations by Rak, Skurski, and Gutowski J. Chem. Phys. 114, 10673 (2001)] had found the betaine anion to be a dipole bound anion with a vertical detachment energy of 0.28 eV. We also measured the vertical detachment energy of deprotonated betaine to be approximately 1.9 eV.