Negative ion formation from low energy (0–15 eV) electron impact to CF2Cl2 under different phase conditions

Dissociation processes of ionized freons: CHFCl2+ and CF2Cl2+ in the gas phase

The present study reveals the effects of symmetry on how the distribution and flow of energy play out on the decomposition of small halocarbons. Unimolecular decay of the freons CHFCl2 and CF2Cl2 when ionized has been investigated. Mass spectrometric results that encompass isotope effects (peak heights) and energy distribution in the exit channel (peak shapes) are interpreted by computational methods. Non-statistical processes of electronic predissociation and isolated state decay are shown to be directly associated with molecular symmetry.

Mass spectrometry of aerosol particle analogues in molecular beam experiments

Nanometer-size particles such as ultrafine aerosol particles, ice nanoparticles, water nanodroplets, etc, play an important, however, not yet fully understood role in the atmospheric chemistry and physics. These species are often composed of water with admixture of other atmospherically relevant molecules. To mimic and investigate such particles in laboratory experiments, mixed water clusters with atmospherically relevant molecules can be generated in molecular beams and studied by various mass spectrometric methods. The present review demonstrates that such experiments can provide unprecedented details of reaction mechanisms, and detailed insight into the photon-, electron-, and ion-induced processes relevant to the atmospheric chemistry. After a brief outline of the molecular beam preparation, cluster properties, and ionization methods, we focus on the mixed clusters with various atmospheric molecules, such as hydrated sulfuric acid and nitric acid clusters, N_x O_y and halogen-containing molecules with water. A special attention is paid to their reactivity and solvent effects of water molecules on the observed processes.

The reaction of CF2Cl2 with gas-phase hydrated electrons

The reaction of dichlorodifluoromethane (CF2Cl2) with hydrated electrons (H2O)n(-) (n = 30-86) in the gas phase was studied using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry. The hydrated electron reacts with CF2Cl2, forming (H2O)mCl(-) with a rate constant of (8.6 ± 2.2) × 10(-10) cm(3) s(-1), corresponding to an efficiency of 57 ± 15%. The reaction enthalpy was determined using nanocalorimetry, revealing a strongly exothermic reaction with ΔHr(CF2Cl2, 298 K) = -208 ± 41 kJ mol(-1). The combination of the measured reaction enthalpy with thermochemical data from the condensed phase yields a C-Cl bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) ΔHC-Cl(CF2Cl2, 298 K) = 355 ± 41 kJ mol(-1) that agrees within error limits with the predicted values from quantum chemical calculations and published BDEs.

Monochromatic soft-x-ray-induced reactions of CF2Cl2 adsorbed on Si(111)-7 × 7 studied by continuous-time photon-stimulated desorption spectroscopy near the F(1s) edge

Continuous-time core-level photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) spectroscopy was used to investigate the monochromatic soft x-ray photoreactions of CF(2)Cl(2) adsorbed on Si(111)-7 × 7 near the F(1s) edge (681-704 eV). Sequential F(+) PSD spectra were observed as a function of photon exposure at the CF(2)Cl(2)-covered surface (dose = 2.0 × 10(14) molecules cm(-2), ∼0.75 monolayer). The F(+) PSD and total electron yield (TEY) spectra of solid CF(2)Cl(2) near the F(1s) edge were also measured. Both F(+) PSD and TEY spectra depict three features in the energy range of 687-695 eV, and are assigned to the excitations of F(1s) to (13a(1) + 9b(2))[(C-Cl)(∗)], (7b(1) + 14a(1))[(C-F)∗] antibonding and 5p Rydberg orbitals, respectively. Following the Auger decay process, two holes are created in the C-F bonding orbitals producing the 2h1e final state which results in the F(+) desorption. This PSD mechanism, responsible for the F(+) PSD of solid CF(2)Cl(2), is used to explain the first F(+) PSD spectrum in the sequential F(+) PSD spectra. The variation of spectral shapes in the sequential F(+) PSD spectra shows the consumption of adsorbed CF(2)Cl(2) molecules and the production of surface SiF species as a function of photon exposure. The photolysis cross section of the adsorbed CF(2)Cl(2) molecules by photons with varying energy (681-704 eV) is deduced from the sequential F(+) PSD spectra and found to be ∼6.0 × 10(-18) cm(2).

Inelastic electron interaction with chloroform clusters embedded in helium droplets

The inelastic electron interaction (ionization/attachment) with chloroform embedded in helium droplets has been studied utilizing a two-sector field mass spectrometer. Positive mass spectra have been recorded at the electron energy of 70 eV and are compared with previous results in the gas phase and with other systems embedded in helium droplets. Moreover, the negative ion mass spectrum has been recorded at the electron energy of 1.5 eV. Both negative and positive mass spectra show that chloroform clusters are easily formed by embedding single molecules in the helium droplets. Moreover, for anions appearing in the mass spectrum, the ion yield has been determined as function of the electron energy. While no parent anion of chloroform can be observed in the gas phase, the present cluster environment allows the stabilization of the transient negative ion. The influence of the helium droplet upon the ionization or attachment process of the embedded chloroform is discussed.

Dissociative electron attachment in selected haloalkanes

Three mono-substituted and six poly-substituted haloalkanes derivatives were investigated by means of negative ion mass spectrometry (NIMS). Available electron transmission spectroscopy (ETS) data were used for the treatment of NIMS results. Comparison of the ETS spectra of mono-substituted bromo- and chloroalkanes show that these families of compounds exhibit similar regularities in the process of NI formation. Capture of the p-partial wave dominates in the lowest anion state formation. In the series of mono-substituted bromo- and chloroalkanes the energy difference (Shift) between the vertical attachment energy (VAE) in ETS spectra and the maximum of the NI formation in dissociative electron attachment (DEA) spectra correlates approximately linearly with the VAE value for the given molecule. The slopes of these dependencies are different for the mono-substituted chloro and bromo derivatives. It is conjectured that, in the derivatives di-substituted in the 1,2-positions, there is a shallow minimum in the repulsive anion potential curve, which makes possible temporary trapping of the anion. This delay is long enough for the rearrangement process and formation of the Hal2- ions. This effect is not detected in 1,1-halogenated derivatives.

Absolute electron-impact total ionization cross sections of chlorofluoromethanes

An experimental study is reported on the electron-impact total ionization cross sections (TICSs) of CCl4, CCl3F, CCl2F2, and CClF3 molecules. The kinetic energy of the colliding electrons was in the 10-85 eV range. TICSs were obtained as the sum of the partial ionization cross sections of all fragment ions, measured and identified in a linear double focusing time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The resulting TICS profiles--as a function of the electron-impact energy--have been compared both with those computed by ab initio and (semi)empirical methods and with the available experimental data. The computational methods used include the binary-encounter-Bethe (BEB) modified to include atoms with principal quantum numbers n> or =3, the Deutsch and Märk (DM) formalism, and the modified additivity rule (MAR). It is concluded that both modified BEB and DM methods fit the experimental TICS for (CF4), CClF3, CCl2F2, CCl3F, and CCl4 to a high accuracy, in contrast with the poor accord of the MAR method. A discussion on the factors influencing the discrepancies of the fittings is presented.

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors in anion electron-stimulated desorption: D− from deuterated hydrocarbons condensed on Kr and water ice films

The results of D(-) ion desorption induced by 3-20 eV electrons incident on condensed CD(4), C(2)D(6), C(3)D(8), C(2)D(4), and C(2)D(2) are presented. These compounds were deposited in submonolayer amounts on the surfaces of multilayer solid films of Kr and nonporous and porous amorphous ice. While desorption of the D(-) anions proceeds via well-known processes, i.e., dissociative electron attachment (DEA) and dipolar dissociation, significant perturbations of these processes due to presence of the different film substrates are observed. We have shown that it is possible to distinguish between the character and nature of these perturbations. The presence of the nonporous ice perturbs the D(-) desorption intensity by affecting the intrinsic properties of the intermediate anion states through which dissociation proceeds. On the other hand, the presence of the porous ice introduces extrinsic effects, which can affect electron energy losses prior to their interaction with the hydrocarbon molecule and/or the energies and intensities of the fragment species after dissociation. Simple mechanisms responsible for the observed variations in the intensities of desorbed anionic signals are proposed and discussed. Electron transfer from transient anion states to electron states of the substrate film or nearby hydrocarbon molecules appear as the most efficient mechanism to reduce the magnitude of the DEA process.

Negative ion formation in electron-stimulated desorption of CF2Cl2 coadsorbed with polar NH3 on Ru(0001)

Photon-induced dissociation of CF2Cl2 (freon-12) in the stratosphere contributes substantially to atmospheric ozone depletion. We report recent results on dissociation and negative ion formation in electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of CF2Cl2 on Ru(0001), when CF2Cl2 is coadsorbed with a polar molecule (NH3), for electron energies ranging from 50 to 300 eV. Two different time-of-flight methods are used in this investigation: (a) an ESD ion angular distribution detector with wide collection angle and (b) a quadrupole mass spectrometer with narrow collection angle and high mass resolution. Many negative ESD fragments are seen (F-, Cl-, FCl-, CF-, F2-, and Cl2-), whose intensities depend on the surface preparation. Using both detectors we observe a giant enhancement of Cl- and F- yields for ESD of CF2Cl2 coadsorbed with approximately 1 ML of NH3; this enhancement (>10(3) for Cl-) is specific to certain ions, and is attributed to an increased probability of dissociative electron attachment due to "trapped" low-energy secondary electrons, i.e., precursor states of the solvated electron in NH3. In further studies, the influence of polar NH3 spacer layers (1-10 ML) on ESD of top-layer CF2Cl2 is determined, and compared with thick films of condensed CF2Cl2. The magnitudes and energy dependences of the Cl- yields are different in these cases, due to several contributing factors.

Kinetics of electron-induced decomposition of CF[sub 2]Cl[sub 2] coadsorbed with water (ice): A comparison with CCl[sub 4]

The kinetics of decomposition and subsequent chemistry of adsorbed CF(2)Cl(2), activated by low-energy electron irradiation, have been examined and compared with CCl(4). These molecules have been adsorbed alone and coadsorbed with water ice films of different thicknesses on metal surfaces (Ru; Au) at low temperatures (25 K; 100 K). The studies have been performed with temperature programmed desorption (TPD), reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). TPD data reveal the efficient decomposition of both halocarbon molecules under electron bombardment, which proceeds via dissociative electron attachment (DEA) of low-energy secondary electrons. The rates of CF(2)Cl(2) and CCl(4) dissociation increase in an H(2)O (D(2)O) environment (2-3x), but the increase is smaller than that reported in recent literature. The highest initial cross sections for halocarbon decomposition coadsorbed with H(2)O, using 180 eV incident electrons, are measured (using TPD) to be 1.0+/-0.2 x 10(-15) cm(2) for CF(2)Cl(2) and 2.5+/-0.2 x 10(-15) cm(2) for CCl(4). RAIRS and XPS studies confirm the decomposition of halocarbon molecules codeposited with water molecules, and provide insights into the irradiation products. Electron-induced generation of Cl(-) and F(-) anions in the halocarbon/water films and production of H(3)O(+), CO(2), and intermediate compounds COF(2) (for CF(2)Cl(2)) and COCl(2), C(2)Cl(4) (for CCl(4)) under electron irradiation have been detected using XPS, TPD, and RAIRS. The products and the decomposition kinetics are similar to those observed in our recent experiments involving x-ray photons as the source of ionizing irradiation.