Tunneling chemical reactions in solid parahydrogen: Direct measurement of the rate constants of R+H2→RH+H (R=CD3,CD2H,CDH2,CH3) at 5 K

VUV photochemistry and nuclear spin conversion of water and water-orthohydrogen complexes in parahydrogen crystals at 4 K

Samples of H2O, HDO, and D2O were isolated in solid parahydrogen (pH2) matrices and irradiated by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation at 147 nm. Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra showed a clear depletion of D2O and an enrichment of both HDO and H2O by 147 nm irradiation. These irradiation-dependent changes are attributed to the production of OH and/or OD radicals through photodissociations of H2O, HDO, and D2O. The radicals subsequently react with the hydrogen matrix, leading to the observed enrichment of H2O. No trace of isolated OH or OD was detected in the FTIR spectra, indicating that the OH/OD radicals react with the surrounding matrix hydrogen molecules via quantum tunneling within our experimental timescale. The observed temporal changes in concentrations, especially the increase of HDO concentration during VUV irradiation, can be interpreted by a model with a rapid conversion from orthohydrogen (oH2) to pH2 in water-oH2 complexes upon VUV photodissociation, indicating either the acceleration of the nuclear spin conversion (NSC) of H2 due to the magnetic moment of the intermediate OH/OD radical, or the preferential reaction of the OH/OD radical with a nearby oH2 molecule over other pH2 molecules. We have also identified and quantified an anomalously slow NSC of H2O and D2O complexed with oH2 in solid pH2.

Vacuum-ultraviolet photolysis of methane at 3 K: synthesis of carbon clusters up to C20

Samples of pure methane and of methane dispersed in solid neon at 3 K subjected to irradiation at wavelengths less than 165 nm with light from a synchrotron yielded varied products that were identified through their infrared absorption spectra, including CH3, C2H2, C2H3, C2H4, C2H6, C4H2, C4H4, C5H2, C8H2, CnH with n = 1-5, and carbon chains Cn with n = 3-20. The efficiency of photolysis of methane and the nature of the photoproducts depended on the concentration of methane and the wavelength selected for irradiation; an addition of H2 into solid neon enhanced the formation of long carbon chains.

Temperature, composition, and hydrogen isotope effect in the hydrogenation of CO on amorphous ice surface at 10–20K

An experiment on the addition reaction of a D atom (deuteration) to CO on a cold ice surface is performed by deuterium atom exposure of three types of samples (pure solid CO, CO-capped H2O ice, and CO-H2O mixed ice) at 10-20 K. The variation of IR absorption spectra for the samples was measured by a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer during exposure to deuterium atoms. Reactions on pure solid CO were observed only at 10 K, while reactions on CO-capped H2O ice and CO-H2O mixed ice were observed to proceed even at 20 K. This indicates that the coexistence of H2O at the surface raises the reactive temperature. In addition, the experiment on H atom exposure was also carried out at 15 K to compare the reaction rate constant between the H and D atoms. The ratio of reaction rate constant kD/kH obtained is about 0.08 at 15 K. The authors provide information on the potential energy for the H+CO reaction at the surface by using the ratio kD/kH and by a model calculation of the potential tunneling with the asymmetric Eckart potential.

Infrared-induced reaction of Cl atoms trapped in solid parahydrogen

The 355 nm photodissociation of Cl(2) trapped in a solid parahydrogen matrix at 2 K leads to the formation of isolated Cl photofragments. At these low temperatures (k(B)T approximately 1.4 cm(-1)), the Cl atoms can not react with the parahydrogen matrix since the reaction Cl + H(2)(v = 0, j = 0) --> HCl(v = 0, j = 0) + H is endothermic by 360 cm(-1). Irradiation of the Cl atom doped parahydrogen solid with broadband infrared radiation from 4000 cm(-1) to 5000 cm(-1) induces reaction of atomic Cl with the parahydrogen matrix to form HCl. The infrared-induced chemistry is attributed to solid parahydrogen absorptions that lead to the creation of vibrationally excited H(2)(v = 1), which supply the necessary energy to induce reaction. The kinetics of this low temperature infrared-induced reaction is studied using Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy of the HCl reaction product. The HCl formation kinetics is first-order and the magnitude of the effective rate constant for the infrared-induced reaction depends on the properties of the near infrared radiation.