Resonant electron capture by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules: Effects of aza-substitution

Resonant electron capture by aza and diaza derivatives of phenanthrene (7,8-benzoquinoline and 1,10-phenanthroline) and anthracene (acridine and phenazine) at incident free electron energies (Ee) in the range of 0-15 eV was studied. All compounds except 7,8-benzoquinoline form long-lived molecular ions (M-) at thermal electron energies (Ee ∼ 0 eV). Acridine and phenazine also form such ions at epithermal electron energies up to Ee = 1.5-2.5 eV. The lifetimes (τa) of M- with respect to electron autodetachment are proportional to the extent of aza-substitution and increase on going from molecules with bent geometry of the fused rings (azaphenanthrenes) to linear isomers (azaanthracenes). These regularities are due to an increase in the adiabatic electron affinities (EAa) of the molecules. The EAa values of the molecules under study were comprehensively assessed based on a comparative analysis of the measured τa values using the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory, the electronic structure analysis using the molecular orbital approach, as well as the density functional calculations of the total energy differences between the molecules and anions. The only fragmentation channel of M- ions from the compounds studied is abstraction of hydrogen atoms. When studying [M-H]- ions, electron autodetachment processes were observed, the τa values were measured, and the appearance energies were determined. A comparative analysis of the gas-phase acidity of the molecules and the EAa values of the [M-H]· radicals revealed their proportionality to the EAa values of the parent molecules.

Structural rearrangements as relaxation pathway for molecular negative ions formed via vibrational Feshbach resonance

The low-energy (0-15 eV) resonance electron interaction with two organic acids, oxaloacetic and α-ketoglutaric, is studied under gas-phase conditions using dissociative electron attachment spectroscopy. The most unexpected observation is the long-lived (microseconds) molecular negative ions formed by thermal electron attachment via the vibrational Feshbach resonance mechanism in both compounds. Unlike oxaloacetic acid, for which only one slow (microseconds) dissociative decay is detected, as many as five metastable negative ions are observed for α-ketoglutaric acid. These results are analyzed using density functional theory calculations and estimations of electron affinity using the experimental electron detachment times. The results are of considerable interest for understanding the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the dynamics of highly excited negative ions and the transformation pathways of biologically relevant molecules stimulated by excess electron attachment.

Electron Propagator Theory Approach to the Electron Binding Energies of a Prototypical Photo-Switch Molecular System: Azobenzene

The electron binding energies for the trans and cis conformers of azobenzene (AB), a prototypical photoswitch, were investigated by electron propagator theory (EPT). The EPT results are compared with data from photoelectron and electron transmission spectroscopies and complemented by the calculation of the differences between vertical and adiabatic ionization energies and electron affinities of the AB conformers. These differences are discussed in terms of the geometry changes associated with the processes of ionization and electron attachment. The results pointed out a major difference between these processes when we compare trans-AB and cis-AB. For trans-AB, electron attachment leads to a small geometry change, whereas for cis-AB, it is the ionized structure that keeps some similarity with the neutral species. We emphasize the interest of the present results for a better understanding of recent experiments on the dark cis-trans isomerization in different environments, specifically for azobenzenes in interaction with gold nanoparticles, where the proposed cis-trans isomerization mechanism relies on electron transfer induced isomerization.

Temporary anion states of p-benzoquinone: shape and core-excited resonances

The energies and lifetimes of shape and core-excited resonances of p-benzoquinone have been studied in this paper. The obtained resonance parameters are of fundamental importance in understanding the bonding and electronic processes of quinones.

Anomalously long-lived molecular negative ions of duroquinone

The problem under investigation here is establishment of mechanisms of the resonant electron capture by molecules, using the example of duroquinone (2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-benzoquinone). A solution is important because it will provide new insights into the fundamental physical laws and widespread applications in various fields like molecular nanoelectronics, touched upon herein too. Resonant electron capture (REC) in duroquinone was studied with negative ion mass spectrometry of the REC as the main method, and UV absorption and the photoelectron spectroscopy as the auxiliary ones. The latter were used to study the electronic structures of the various neutral molecular states that are the parent ones for the negative molecular ions formed by electron attachment to the molecules. B3LYP/6-311 + G(d,p) calculations were widely used throughout the study. As a result, an intensive peak of the negative molecular ions with anomalously high lifetime (200 microseconds) was registered at the attached electron energy of 1.8 eV. The ions were determined to be quartets delaying the electron autodetachment because of spin prohibition and appearing via inter-system crossing from the negative molecular ion doublets produced in the core-excited Feshbach resonances. Finally, the pattern of the REC in duroquinone was obtained for the energy region of 1-4 eV which is presented by shape resonances, core-excited Feshbach resonances and by mechanisms little-known for molecules of inter-shell resonances and the formation of ion quartets. The latter were proposed to be related to the negative differential resistance in molecular nanoelectronics.

Resonance electron attachment and long-lived negative ions of phthalimide and pyromellitic diimide

Resonance attachment of low energy (0-15 eV) electrons to imide-containing molecules, phthalimide (PTI) and pyromellitic diimide (PMDI), was investigated in the gas-phase by means of Electron Transmission Spectroscopy (ETS) and Dissociative Electron Attachment Spectroscopy (DEAS). Among a variety of low intensity negatively charged fragments formed by DEA, in both compounds the dominant species was found to be a long-lived (μs) parent molecular anion formed at zero energy. In addition, in PMDI long-lived molecular anions were also observed at 0.85 and 2.0 eV. The experimentally evaluated detachment times from the molecular anions as a function of incident electron energy are modeled with a simple computational approach based on the RRKM theory. The occurrence of radiationless transitions to the ground anion state, followed by internal vibrational relaxation, is believed to be a plausible mechanism to explain the exceptionally long lifetime of the PMDI molecular anions formed above zero energy.

Molecular anion formation in 9,10-anthraquinone: Dependence of the electron detachment rate on temperature and incident electron energy

Attachment of low-energy electrons to gas phase 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) was observed with electron transmission (ET) spectroscopy, and interpreted with the support of quantum chemical calculations. The ET spectrum displays three shape resonances at 0.45, 0.7, and 2.2 eV, associated with temporary electron capture into empty pi( *) molecular orbitals of AQ, the first two anion states being stable. According to TD-B3LYP calculations, the first pi-pi( *) core-excited resonance lies at about 1.8 eV, although no experimental evidence for this anion state was found. The long-lived parent molecular anion [AQ](-) was observed by means of Electron Attachment Spectroscopy (EAS) using two different mass spectrometers and also by measuring the total anion current at the collision chamber walls. The molecular anion current shows maxima at zero energy, around 0.6 eV and at 1.8 eV. Association of these maxima with the corresponding resonant anion states is discussed. The experimentally measured electron detachment times from [AQ](-) as a function of the incident electron energy and the temperature of the target molecule show a pronounced change of slope around 1.5 eV, regardless of the temperature. This unexpected behavior can be qualitatively reproduced within the framework of a multiexponential approach which describes the electron detachment event in terms of a redistribution of the anion excess energy, regardless of the initial mechanism of temporary anion formation.