The ν2 bending vibrational structure of the X̃ 2Σ+ state of MgNC

Laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy of the transition of jet cooled 14NO3 and 15NO3 II: the dispersed fluorescence spectrum from the 3rd E level of the ν4 mode (approximately the 2ν4 (e'), l = 0, level)

14NO3 and 15NO3 isotopomers were generated in a supersonic free jet expansion, and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) of the electronic transition was observed. Dispersed LIF spectra from the vibronic level at ∼770 cm-1 above the vibrationless level have been measured for each isotopomer. One remarkable characteristic of the dispersed fluorescence (DF) spectrum is that the ν2 fundamental is clearly observed, even though the transition 201 is forbidden in the electronic transition. Another is that two sets of vibrational structure are observed in the DF spectrum: one of the two sets is the structure with the origin at the excitation energy, and the other is that with the origin at the ν2 fundamental. These observations suggest that the fluorescent level has contribution from the ν2 mode. In part I (M. Fukushima, J. Mol. Spectrosc., 2022, 387, 111646), it has been reported that the ν4 progressions are one of the typical characteristics of the vibrational structure of the DF spectrum from the vibrationless level; the progressions have intensity gradually decreasing with increasing ν4 quantum number (named the "regular" distribution), and have members forbidden for the Δl = 0 selection rule. The intensity distribution of the ν4 progression with the origin at the ν2 fundamental is similar to that from the vibrationless level, while that with the origin at the excitation energy is drastically different from that from the vibrationless level. The Jahn-Teller (J-T) and Renner-Teller (R-T) interactions in the B̃2E' state enable us to interpret the intensity distributions of the ν4 progressions, in which relatively weak interactions are enough to reproduce the observed distributions. The spectral intensity distribution analyses adopting the two vibronic couplings suggest that the fluorescent level at ∼770 cm-1 above the vibrationless level is the 3rd E eigenstate of the ν4 mode. The major component of the ν4 3rd E state is the |Λ = ±1; v4 = 2, l4 = 0〉 level of the B̃2E' state, which is a vibrationally and a vibronically E' level, and it is therefore concluded that the major components of the fluorescent level are both of the ν2 = 1 level and ν4 = 2 level .

Icy Grain Mantle Surface Astrochemistry of MgNC: The Emergence of Metal Ion Catalysis Studied via Model Ice Cluster Calculations

One of a small number of known magnesium-containing astromolecules, magnesium isocyanide (MgNC) was first detected in 1986. MgNC is an intriguing reactant to consider: it is an open-shell radical in which its metal atom forms a bond with CN that is a mixture of ionic and covalent character. While its gas phase astrochemistry has received prior attention, the grain surface chemistry of MgNC has never been studied. Because of its ionic character, MgNC is found to interact far more strongly with an ice surface than molecules with a greater degree of covalency. As a radical, it may react with closed-shell molecules deposited from the gas phase. In this work, cluster calculations treated with density functional theory and correlation consistent basis sets were used to model the deposition of MgNC on clusters containing 17 and 24 water molecules, which were then allowed to react with acetylene (HCCH) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) as well as with H atoms. The addition of H to MgNC-nH₂O yields hydromagnesium isocyanide (HMgNC), a known astromolecule that may be ejected into the gas phase. HCCH and HCN bind to MgNC-nH₂O to form intermediate radical compounds that may then also react with H atoms. There is enough reaction energy from H addition to eject fragments of the intermediates into the gas phase: the vinyl radical (C₂H₃) for HCCH and the methaniminyl radical (H₂CN) for HCN. That leaves MgNC-nH₂O to perform further catalytic activity. Alternatively, various hydrogenated divalent Mg compounds may also be stabilized and frozen into the ice or potentially ejected into the gas phase. Benchmark coupled cluster theory calculations in limited systems were used to characterize the submerged reaction barriers present when HCCH or HCN add to MgNC in the gas phase.

Dispersed fluorescence spectroscopy of the SiCN Ã2Δ - X̃2Π system: Observation of some vibrational levels with chaotic characteristics

The laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectrum of the à ²Δ - X̃ ²Π transition was obtained for SiCN generated by laser ablation under supersonic free jet expansion. The vibrational structures of the dispersed fluorescence (DF) spectra from single vibronic levels (SVL's) were analyzed with consideration of the Renner-Teller (R-T) interaction. Analysis of the pure bending (ν₂) structure by a perturbation approach including R-T, anharmonicity, spin-orbit (SO), and Herzberg-Teller (H-T) interactions indicated considerably different spin splitting for the μ and κ levels of the X̃ ²Π state of SiCN, in contrast to identical spin splitting for general species derived from the perturbation approach, where μ and κ specify the lower and upper levels, respectively, separated by R-T. Further analysis of the vibrational structure including R-T, anharmonicity, SO, H-T, Fermi, and Sears interactions was carried out via a direct diagonalization procedure, where Sears resonance is a second-order interaction combined from SO and H-T interactions with Δ K = ± 1, ΔΣ = ∓1, and Δ P = 0, and where P is a quantum number, P = K + Σ. The later numerical analysis reproduced the observed structure, not only the pure ν₂ structure but also the combination structure of the ν₂ and the Si-CN stretching (ν₃) modes. As an example, the analysis demonstrates Sears resonance between vibronic levels, (01¹0) κ Σ⁽⁺⁾ and (02⁰0)μΠ₁₂, with Δ K = ± 1 and Δ P = 0. On the basis of coefficients of their eigen vectors derived from the numerical analysis, it is interpreted as an almost one-to-one mixing between the two levels. The mixing coefficients of the two vibronic levels agree with those obtained from computational studies. The numerical analysis also indicates that some of the vibronic levels show chaotic characteristics in view of the two-dimensional harmonic oscillator (2D-HO) basis which is used as the basis function in the present numerical analysis; i.e., the eigen vectors for some of the observed levels have several components of the basis, and we have not been able to give precise vibronic assignments for the levels, but just vibronically labeled, referring the largest component in their vectors. (To emphasize this situation, we do not use the word "assignment," but prefer to use "label" as the meaning of just "label," but not "assign," throughout this paper.) The latter shows that the vibronic labels of the levels are meaningless, and the P quantum number and the order of their eigen states in the P matrix block derived in the numerical analysis only characterize the vibronic levels. Comparing the constants obtained for all of the interactions with those of species showing Sears resonance and studied previously, it is found that none of them are strong, but are moderate. It is thus concluded that the chaotic appearance is not derived by any strong interaction, but is induced by complex and accidental proximities of the vibronic levels caused by the moderate interactions.