Valence shell electronic spectroscopy of isoprene studied by theoretical calculations and by electron scattering, photoelectron, and absolute photoabsorption measurements

Cyclohexane Vibronic States: A Combined VUV Spectroscopy and Theoretical Study

In this work, we provide results from a joint experimental and theoretical study of the vibronic features of cyclohexane (C6H12) in the photon energy range of 6.8-10.8 eV (182-115 nm). The high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoabsorption measurements, together with quantum chemical calculations at the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) level, have helped to assign the major electronic excitations to mixed valence-Rydberg and Rydberg transitions. The C6H12 photoabsorption spectrum shows fine structure which has been assigned to CH2 scissoring, v3'a1g, CH2 rocking, v4'a1g, C-C stretching, v5'a1g, and CCC bending/CC torsion, v24'eg, modes. Molecular structure calculations at the DFT level for the neutral and cationic electronic ground-states have shown the relevant structural changes that are operative in the higher-lying electronic states. Photolysis lifetimes in the Earth's atmosphere are shown to be irrelevant, while the main atmospheric sink mechanism is the reaction with the •OH radical. Potential energy curves have been obtained at the TDDFT level of theory, showing the relevance of interchange character mainly involving the CH2 scissoring, v3'a1g, and CH2 rocking, v4'a1g, modes, while Jahn-Teller distortion yields weak vibronic coupling involving the non-totally symmetric CCC bending/CC torsion, v24'eg, mode.

Cyclopentene and cyclopentadiene formation in isoprene pyrolysis

Photoion mass-selected threshold photoelectron spectroscopy (ms-TPES) was used to identify the isoprene pyrolysis products in a SiC microreactor at 1400 °C with the help of literature and Franck-Condon simulated reference spectra for molecular species at the detected m/z ratios. The key observation is the presence of equimolar amounts of isoprene and cyclopentene at the pyrolysis temperature based on the m/z 68 ms-TPES, indicating kinetically allowed isoprene isomerization concurrently with fragmentation reactions. This isomerization was computationally explored and was found to take place via a short-lived vinylcyclopropane intermediate, which was previously proposed to isomerize into isoprene and cyclopentene, with the latter product being dominant. Cyclopentene then decomposes by loss of H2 to form m/z 66, cyclopentadiene (also observed). Previously postulated products of dimethylallene, methylallene, and allene were not observed. Of the possible C2-C4-products, the extracted ms-TPES confirmed only 1,3-butadiene and 2-butyne (m/z 54), 1-buten-3-yne (m/z 52), propene (m/z 42), propyne (m/z 40), propargyl radical (m/z 39), as well as C2H4, C2H2, CH4, and CH3. A trace amount of benzene was also observed at m/z 78, indicative of bimolecular chemistry. The results draw into question a number of the suggested unimolecular reaction products in the recent literature and thus the kinetic models for isoprene pyrolysis.

Vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption spectra of icy isoprene and its oligomers

Isoprene and its oligomers, terpenes, are expected to be present, along with other complex organic molecules in the diverse environments of the ISM and in our solar system. Due to insufficient spectral information of these molecules at low temperature, detection and understanding the importance of these molecules has been rather incomplete. For this purpose, we have carried out the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoabsorption measurements on pure molecular ices of isoprene and a few simple terpenes: limonene, α-pinene and β-pinene by forming icy mantles on cold dust analogs. From these experiments, we report the first low temperature (10 K) VUV spectra of isoprene and its oligomers limonene, α-pinene and β-pinene. VUV photoabsorption spectra of all the molecules reported here reveal similarities in the ice and gas phase as expected, with an exception of isoprene where a prominent red shift is observed in the ice phase absorption. This unqiue property of isoprene along with distinctive absorption at longer wavelengths supports its candidature for detection on icy bodies.

An exploratory study on online quantification of isoprene in human breath using cavity ringdown spectroscopy in the ultraviolet

Breath analysis offers a promising method of noninvasive analyses of volatile metabolites and xenobiotics present in human body. Isoprene is one of the highest abundant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in human exhaled breath. Breath isoprene (50-200 part per billion by volume (ppbv) or higher) can be analyzed by using mass spectroscopy-based methods, yet laser absorption spectral detection of breath isoprene has not been much reported, partially due to its ultraviolet (UV) absorption wavelength and the spectral overlap with other breath VOCs such as acetone in the same wavelength region. These facts make it challenging to develop a spectroscopy-based breath isoprene analyzer for a potential portable instrument. Here we report on the development of a cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) system for detection of breath isoprene in the UV region near 226 nm. First, we investigated spectral absorption interferences near 226 nm and selected an optimal detection wavelength at 226.56 nm with minimum to no spectral interference. We then measured absorption cross-sections of isoprene at 225.5-227.4 nm under controlled cavity pressures, and the measured absorption cross-section 1.93 × 10^-17 cm²/molecule at 226.56 nm was used to quantify isoprene in different cases including human breath gas samples. Finally, we validated the CRDS system by measuring breath gas samples from 19 human subjects using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). The CRDS system shows good linear response (R² = 0.999), high stability (0.2%), and high accuracy (R² = 0.906 with PTR-MS). The limit of detection of the system was 0.47 ppbv, with average over 100 ringdown events (equivalent to 5 s). This work represents the first exploratory study of the detection of breath isoprene using CRDS. The results demonstrate the potential of developing a CRDS-based breath analyzer for online, near-real time, sensitive analysis of breath isoprene for further research that would help to elucidate its physiological and clinical significance.

Isomer Identification in Flames with Double-Imaging Photoelectron/Photoion Coincidence Spectroscopy (i2PEPICO) using Measured and Calculated Reference Photoelectron Spectra

Double-imaging photoelectron/photoion coincidence (i2PEPICO) spectroscopy using a multiplexing, time-efficient, fixed-photon-energy approach offers important opportunities of gas-phase analysis. Building on successful applications in combustion systems that have demonstrated the discriminative power of this technique, we attempt here to push the limits of its application further to more chemically complex combustion examples. The present investigation is devoted to identifying and potentially quantifying compounds featuring five heavy atoms in laminar, premixed low-pressure flames of hydrocarbon and oxygenated fuels and their mixtures. In these combustion examples from flames of cyclopentene, iso-pentane, iso-pentane blended with dimethyl ether (DME), and diethyl ether (DEE), we focus on the unambiguous assignment and quantitative detection of species with the sum formulae C5H6, C5H7, C5H8, C5H10, and C4H8O in the respective isomer mixtures, attempting to provide answers to specific chemical questions for each of these examples. To analyze the obtained i2PEPICO results from these combustion situations, photoelectron spectra (PES) from pure reference compounds, including several examples previously unavailable in the literature, were recorded with the same experimental setup as used in the flame measurements. In addition, PES of two species where reference spectra have not been obtained, namely 2-methyl-1-butene (C5H10) and the 2-cyclopentenyl radical (C5H7), were calculated on the basis of high-level ab initio calculations and Franck-Condon (FC) simulations. These reference measurements and quantum chemical calculations support the early fuel decomposition scheme in the cyclopentene flame towards 2-cyclopentenyl as the dominant fuel radical as well as the prevalence of branched intermediates in the early fuel destruction reactions in the iso-pentane flame, with only minor influences from DME addition. Furthermore, the presence of ethyl vinyl ether (EVE) in DEE flames that was predicted by a recent DEE combustion mechanism could be confirmed unambiguously. While combustion measurements using i2PEPICO can be readily obtained in isomer-rich situations, we wish to highlight the crucial need for high-quality reference information to assign and evaluate the obtained spectra.

Electronic State Spectroscopy of Halothane As Studied by ab Initio Calculations, Vacuum Ultraviolet Synchrotron Radiation, and Electron Scattering Methods

We present the first set of ab initio calculations (vertical energies and oscillator strengths) of the valence and Rydberg transitions of the anaesthetic compound halothane (CF3CHBrCl). These results are complemented by high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption measurements over the wavelength range 115-310 nm (10.8-4.0 eV). The spectrum reveals several new features that were not previously reported in the literature. Spin-orbit effects have been considered in the calculations for the lowest-lying states, allowing us to explain the broad nature of the 6.1 and 7.5 eV absorption bands assigned to σ*(C-Br) ← nBr and σ*(C-Cl) ← n(Cl) transitions. Novel absolute photoabsorption cross sections from electron scattering data were derived in the 4.0-40.0 eV range. The measured absolute photoabsorption cross sections have been used to calculate the photolysis lifetime of halothane in the upper stratosphere (20-50 km).

The use of isoprene as a novel dopant in negative ion atmospheric pressure photoionization mass spectrometry coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography

RATIONALE

As in the case with positive ion atmospheric pressure photoionization (PI-APPI), the addition of dopants significantly improves the sensitivity of negative ion APPI (NI-APPI). However, the research on dopant-assisted-NI-APPI has been quite limited compared to the studies on dopant-assisted PI-APPI. This work presents the potential of isoprene as a novel dopant for NI-APPI.

METHODS

Thirteen compounds, possessing suitable gas-phase ion energetic properties in order to make stable negative ions, were selected. Dopants were continuously introduced into a tee junction prior to the ion source through a fused-silica capillary, while analytes were directly injected into the same tee. Then both were mixed with the continuous solvent from high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), nebulized, and entered the source. The nebulized stream was analyzed by APPI tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry in the negative ion mode.

RESULTS

The results obtained using isoprene were compared with those obtained by using toluene as a dopant and dopant-free NI-APPI. Isoprene enhanced the ionization intensities of the studied compounds, which were found to be comparable and, in some cases, more effective than toluene. The mechanisms leading to the observed set of negative analyte ions were also discussed. Because in NI-APPI, thermal electrons, which are produced during the photoionization of a dopant, are considered the main reagent ions, both isoprene and toluene promoted the ionization of analytes through the same mechanisms, as expected.

CONCLUSIONS

Isoprene was shown to perform well as a novel dopant for NI-APPI. Isoprene has a high photoabsorption cross section in the VUV region; therefore, its photoionization leads to a highly effective production of thermal electrons, which further promotes the ionization of analytes. In addition, isoprene is environmentally benign and less toxic compared to currently used dopants.

Photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectroscopy for multiplexed detection of intermediate species in a flame

Complex reactive processes in the gas phase often proceed via numerous reaction steps and intermediate species that must be identified and quantified to develop an understanding of the reaction pathways and establish suitable reaction mechanisms. Here, photoelectron-photoion coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy has been applied to analyse combustion intermediates present in a premixed fuel-rich (ϕ = 1.7) ethene-oxygen flame diluted with 25% argon, burning at a reduced pressure of 40 mbar. For the first time, multiplexing fixed-photon-energy PEPICO measurements were demonstrated in a chemically complex reactive system such as a flame in comparison with the scanning "threshold" TPEPICO approach used in recent pioneering combustion investigations. The technique presented here is capable of detecting and identifying multiple species by their cations' vibronic fingerprints, including radicals and pairs or triplets of isomers, from a single time-efficient measurement at a selected fixed photon energy. Vibrational structures for these species have been obtained in very good agreement with scanning-mode threshold photoelectron spectra taken under the same conditions. From such spectra, the temperature in the ionisation volume was determined. Exemplary analysis of species profiles and mole fraction ratios for isomers shows favourable agreement with results obtained by more common electron ionisation and photoionisation mass spectrometry experiments. It is expected that the multiplexing fixed-photon-energy PEPICO technique can contribute effectively to the analysis of chemical reactivity and kinetics in and beyond combustion.

Measurements of the weak UV absorptions of isoprene and acetone at 261-275 nm using cavity ringdown spectroscopy for evaluation of a potential portable ringdown breath analyzer

The weak absorption spectra of isoprene and acetone have been measured in the wavelength range of 261–275 nm using cavity ringdown spectroscopy. The measured absorption cross-sections of isoprene in the wavelength region of 261–266 nm range from 3.65 × 10⁻²¹ cm²·molecule⁻¹ at 261 nm to 1.42 × 10⁻²¹ cm²·molecule⁻¹ at 266 nm; these numbers are in good agreement with the values reported in the literature. In the longer wavelength range of 270–275 nm, however, where attractive applications using a single wavelength compact diode laser operating at 274 nm is located, isoprene has been reported in the literature to have no absorption (too weak to be detected). Small absorption cross-sections of isoprene in this longer wavelength region are measured using cavity ringdown spectroscopy for the first time in this work, i.e., 6.20 × 10⁻²³ cm²·molecule⁻¹ at 275 nm. With the same experimental system, wavelength-dependent absorption cross-sections of acetone have also been measured. Theoretical detection limits of isoprene and comparisons of absorbance of isoprene, acetone, and healthy breath gas in this wavelength region are also discussed.