Hyperthermal Reactions of O+(4S3/2) with CD4 and CH4: Theory and Experiment

A Velocity Map Imaging Study of the Reactions of O+ (4S) With CH4

We present a velocity map imaging study of the key ion-molecule reactions occurring in the O⁺(⁴S_3/2) + CH₄ (X¹A₁) system at collision energies of 1.84 and 2.14 eV. In addition to charge transfer to form CH4+ (X²B₂), we also present data on formation of CH3+ (X¹A₁'), for which the experimentally determined images provide clear confirmation that the products arise from dissociative charge transfer rather than hydride transfer. Experimental data are also presented on the formation of HCO⁺ through a transient [OCH₄]⁺ complex living many rotational periods. Plausible reaction pathways and intermediate structures are presented to give insight into the routes for formation of these reaction products.

Step Towards Modeling the Atmosphere of Titan: State-Selected Reactions of O+ with Methane

Methane conversion and in particular the formation of the C-O bond is one of fundamental entries to organic chemistry and it appears to be essential for understanding parts of atmospheric chemistry of Titan, but, in broader terms it might be also relevant for Earth-like exoplanets. Theoretical study of the reactions of methane with atomic oxygen ion in its excited electronic states requires treating simultaneously at least 19 electronic states. Development of a computational strategy that would allow chemically reasonable and computationally feasible treatment of the CH4 (X)/O+ (2D, 2P) system is by far not trivial and it requires careful examination of all the complex features of the corresponding 19 potential energy surfaces. Before entering the discussion of the rich (photo) chemistry, inspection of the long range behavior of the system with focus on electric dipole transition moments is required. Our calculations show nonzero probability for the reactants to decay before entering the multiple avoided crossings region of the [CH4 + O → products]+ reaction. For the CH4/O+ (2P) system non-zero transition moment probabilities occur over the entire range of considered C-O distances (up to 15 Å), while for the CH4/O+ (2D) system these probabilities are lower by one order of magnitude and were found only at C-O distances smaller than 6 Å.

Ion-molecule reaction dynamics: Velocity map imaging studies of N(+) and O(+) with CD3OD

We present a study of the charge transfer reactions of the atomic ions N(+)and O(+) with methanol in the collision energy range from ∼2 to 4 eV. Charge transfer is driven primarily by energy resonance, although the widths of the product kinetic energy distributions suggest that significant interchange between relative translation and product vibration occurs. Charge transfer with CD3OD is more exoergic for N(+), and the nascent parent ion products appear to be formed in excited B̃ and C̃ electronic states, and fragment to CD2OD(+) by internal conversion and vibrational relaxation to the ground electronic state. The internal excitation imparted to the parent ion is sufficient to result in loss of one or two D atoms from the carbon atom. The less exoergic charge transfer reaction of O(+) forms nascent parent ions in the excited à state, and internal conversion to the ground state only results in ejection of single D atom. Selected isotopomers of methanol were employed to identify reaction products, demonstrating that deuterium atom loss from nascent parent ions occurs by C-D bond cleavage. Comparison of the kinetic energy distributions for charge transfer to form CD3OD(+) and CD2OD(+) by D atom loss with the known dynamics for hydride abstraction from a carbon atom provides strong evidence that the D loss products are formed by dissociative charge transfer rather than hydride (deuteride) transfer. Isotopic labeling also demonstrates that chemical reaction in the N(+) + CD3OD system to form NO(+) + CD4 does not occur in the energy range of these experiments, contrary to earlier speculation in the literature.

Reactions of State-Selected Atomic Oxygen Ions O(+)((4)S, (2)D, (2)P) with Methane

An experimental study has been carried out on the reactions of state selected O(+)((4)S, (2)D, (2)P) ions with methane with the aims of characterizing the effects of both the parent ion internal energy and collision energy on the reaction dynamics and determining the fate of oxygen species in complex media, in particular the Titan ionosphere. Absolute cross sections and product velocity distributions have been determined for the reactions of (16)O(+) or (18)O(+) ions with CH4 or CD4 from thermal to 5 eV collision energies by using the guided ion beam (GIB) technique. Dissociative photoionization of O2 with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) synchrotron radiation delivered by the DESIRS beamline at the SOLEIL storage ring and the threshold photoion photoelectron coincidence (TPEPICO) technique are used for the preparation of purely state-selected O(+)((4)S, (2)D, (2)P) ions. A complete inversion of the product branching ratio between CH4(+) and CH3(+) ions in favor of the latter is observed for excitation of O(+) ions from the (4)S ground state to either the (2)D or the (2)P metastable state. CH4(+) and CH3(+) ions, which are by far the major products for the reaction of ground state and excited states, are strongly backward scattered in the center of mass frame relative to O(+) parent ions. For the reaction of O(+)((4)S), CH3(+) production also rises with increasing collision energy but with much less efficiency than with O(+) excitation. We found that a mechanism of dissociative charge transfer, mediated by an initial charge transfer step, can account very well for all the observations, indicating that CH3(+) production is associated with the formation of H and O atoms (CH3(+) + H + O) rather than with OH formation by an hydride transfer process (CH3(+) + OH). Therefore, as the CH4(+) production by charge transfer is also associated with O atoms, the fate of oxygen species in these reactions is essentially the O production, except for the reaction of O(+)((4)S), which also produces appreciable amounts of H2O(+) ions but only at very low collision energy. The production of O atoms and the nature of the states in which they are formed are discussed for the reactions of O(+) ions with CH4 and N2.

A guided-ion beam study of the collisions and reactions of I(+) and I2 (+) with I2

Growing interest in developing and testing iodine Hall effect thrusters requires measurements of the cross sections of reactions that generate low energy plasma following discharge. Limited experimental and theoretical work necessitates a decisive experiment to elucidate the charge exchange and collision-induced dissociation channels. To this end, we have used guided-ion beam techniques to measure cross sections for both I(+) + I2 and I2 (+)+I2 collisions. We present total collision cross sections as well as collision-induced dissociation cross sections for center-of-mass collision energies ranging from 0.5 to 200 eV for molecular iodine cations. Similarly, we present total collision cross section and charge-exchange cross sections for atomic iodine cations for center-of-mass collision energies ranging from 0.67 to 167 eV. Time-of-flight measurements of the collision products allow determination of velocity distributions, which show evidence of complex formation of I3 (+) from the I(+) + I2 reaction at collision energies below 6 eV.

Probing molecular solids with low-energy ions

Ion/surface collisions in the ultralow- to low-energy (1-100-eV) window represent an excellent technique for investigation of the properties of condensed molecular solids at low temperatures. For example, this technique has revealed the unique physical and chemical processes that occur on the surface of ice, versus the liquid and vapor phases of water. Such instrument-dependent research, which is usually performed with spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, has led to new directions in studies of molecular materials. In this review, we discuss some interesting results and highlight recent developments in the area. We hope that access to the study of molecular solids with extreme surface specificity, as described here, will encourage investigators to explore new areas of research, some of which are outlined in this review.

Methane activation by metal-free radical cations: experimental insight into the reaction intermediate

A precise jab to methane: The SO(2)(*+) radical cation (see figure) effectively activates CH(4) at room temperature through a [H(3)C(*)...HOSO(+)] methyl intermediate isolated in the gas phase by mass spectrometry. Methanol and ionized methyl hydrogen sulfoxylate, CH(3)OSOH(*+), are formed by selective, direct attack of the incipient methyl radical at the O atom of the intermediate. The reaction shows radical and charge effects in the activation of methane by metal-free radical cations.

A guided-ion beam study of the O+(4S) + NH3 system at hyperthermal energies

We have measured absolute cross section for the reaction of ground-state O(+) with ammonia at collision energies in the range from near-thermal to approximately 15 eV, using the guided-ion beam (GIB) method. Measurements were also performed using ammonia-d3 to aid in mass assignments. The reaction is dominated at low collision energies by charge transfer; however, the cross section for this exothermic channel is rather small, decreasing sharply with energy from approximately 40 A(2) for normal ammonia at near-thermal energies and leveling off at 3.7 A(2) above 6 eV; the cross section is slightly smaller for ammonia-d3. Other channels, corresponding to the production of NH2(+) and NO(+), and possibly OH(+), were detected. The NO(+) channel, although nominally exothermic, is very small and exhibits a threshold at approximately 7 eV. Product recoil velocity distributions were also determined at selected collision energies, using GIB time-of-flight methods.

Direct Dynamics Classical Trajectory Simulations of the O+ + CH4 Reaction at Hyperthermal Energies

A Born-Oppenheimer direct dynamics simulation of the O(+) + CH(4) reaction dynamics at hyperthermal energies has been carried out with the PM3 (ground quartet state) Hamiltonian. Calculations were performed at various collision energies ranging from 0.5 to 10 eV with emphasis on high energy collisions where this reaction is relevant to materials erosion studies in low Earth orbit and geosynchronous Earth orbit. Charge transfer to give CH(4)(+) is the dominant channel arising from O(+) + CH(4) collisions in this energy range, but most of the emphasis in our study is on collisions that lead to reaction. All energetically accessible reaction channels were found, including products containing carbon-oxygen bonds, which is in agreement with the results of recent experiments. After correcting for compensating errors in competing reaction channels, our excitation functions show quantitative agreement with experiment (for which absolute magnitudes of cross sections are available) at high collision energies (several eV). More detailed properties, such as translational and angular distributions, show qualitative agreement. The opacity function reveals a high selectivity for producing OH(+) at high impact parameters, CH(3)(+)/CH(2)(+)/H(2)O(+) at intermediate impact parameters, and H(2)CO(+)/HCO(+)/CO(+) at small impact parameters. Angular distributions for CH(3)(+)/CH(2)(+)/OH(+) are forward scattered at high collision energies which implies the importance of direct reaction mechanisms, while reaction complexes play an important role at lower energies, especially for the H(2)O(+) product. Finally, we find that the nominally spin-forbidden product CH(3)(+) + OH can be produced by a spin-allowed pathway that involves the formation of the triplet excited product CH(3)(+)(ã(3)E). This explains why CH(3)(+) can have a high cross section, even at very low collision energies. The results of this work suggest that the PM3 method may be applied directly to the study of O(+) reactions with small alkane molecules and polymer surfaces.