Gas phase infrared spectroscopy of the H2C NH2+ methaniminium cation

Proton Transfer Processes in 2-Butenenitrile Dimer Cation Studied by Mass-Selective Infrared Spectroscopy

2-Butenenitrile (2-Bu) is a recently discovered crucial interstellar molecule. Herein, an abnormal NH band was observed in the infrared spectrum of the 2-Bu dimer cation, suggestive of a proton transfer reaction within the cluster. Through a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the IR spectrum of (2-Bu)2+, we discovered not only the formation of a new C-N bond through the attachment of one 2-Bu to another but also the occurrence of a proton transfer reaction in the cluster. This proton was identified as originating from the methyl group of the attaching 2-Bu in the cluster based on the analysis of IR spectra of (2-Bu)+ and [2-Bu-acrylonitrile (AN)]+. Furthermore, the detailed reaction process of this ion-molecule reaction is examined with theoretical calculation. This finding contributes significantly to our deeper understanding of ion-molecule reactions in the gas phase and the formation of nitrogen-containing prebiotic molecules in the interstellar medium.

High-resolution double resonance action spectroscopy in ion traps: vibrational and rotational fingerprints of CH2NH2. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019;21:26406-26412. [PMID: 31793941 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05487a]

By applying various action spectroscopic techniques in a 4 K cryogenic ion trap instrument, protonated methanimine, CH2NH2+, has been investigated by high-resolution rovibrational and pure rotational spectroscopy for the first time. In total, 39 rovibrational transitions within the fundamental band of the ν2 symmetric C-H stretch were measured around 3026 cm-1, which were used to predict pure rotational transition frequencies of CH2NH2+ in the ground vibrational state. Based on these predictions, nine rotational transitions were observed between 109 and 283 GHz using a novel double resonance method, which significantly improved the sensitivity of the rotational measurements. This double resonance method consists of rotational excitation followed by vibrational excitation, which is finally detected as a dip in the number of CH2NH2+-He complexes formed in the 4 K He bath of the trap. The new measurements and the derived predictions of pure rotational transitions will enable the first radio-astronomical search for CH2NH2+.