Rotationally inelastic scattering in CH4+He, Ne, and Ar: State‐to‐state cross sections via direct infrared laser absorption in crossed supersonic jets

Collision dynamics of symmetric top molecules: a comparison of the rotationally inelastic scattering of CD3 and ND3 with He

We compare rotationally inelastic scattering of deuterated methyl radicals (CD3) and ammonia (ND3) in collisions with helium using close-coupling quantum-mechanical scattering calculations performed with ab initio potential energy surfaces (PESs). The theoretical methods have been rigorously tested against angle-resolved experimental measurements obtained using crossed molecular beam apparatuses in combination with velocity map imaging [O. Tkáč, A. G. Sage, S. J. Greaves, A. J. Orr-Ewing, P. J. Dagdigian, Q. Ma, and M. H. Alexander, Chem. Sci. 4, 4199 (2013); O. Tkáč, A. K. Saha, J. Onvlee, C.-H. Yang, G. Sarma, C. K. Bishwakarma, S. Y. T. van de Meerakker, A. van der Avoird, D. H. Parker, and A. J. Orr-Ewing, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 16, 477 (2014)]. Common features of the scattering dynamics of these two symmetric top molecules, one closed-shell and the other an open-shell radical, are identified and discussed. Two types of anisotropies in the PES influence the interaction of an atom with a nonlinear polyatomic molecule. The effects of these anisotropies can be clearly seen in the state-to-state integral cross sections out of the lowest CD3 rotational levels of each nuclear spin symmetry at a collision energy of 440 cm(-1). Similarities and differences in the differential cross sections for the ND3-He and CD3-He systems can be linked to the coupling terms derived from the PESs which govern particular initial to final rotational level transitions.

Application of valence-bond techniques to the study of weakly bound complexes. The potential energy surface of the Ne–CH4system

We present a comprehensive survey of the Molecular Orbital-Valence Bond (MO-VB) method, a theoretical scheme developed within the framework of the Valence Bond theory to deal with weakly bound intermolecular complexes. According to the MO-VB, the wavefunction of the system is expressed as a truncated non-orthogonal Configuration Interaction expansion, which is size extensive and a priori free of basis set superposition error. We report on the recent developments of the method, which extend the range of application of the MO-VB to intermolecular complexes with a quite large number of correlated electrons, showing that VB-based methods are nowadays a valid alternative to Molecular Orbital approaches also in this field. The MO-VB has been applied to study extensively the Ne-CH(4) complex, and compared with the more standard MP4 and CCSD(T) results. We determined two analytical Potential Energy Surfaces (PES) for this system, computed at MO-VB and MP4 level, which represent the first ones coming entirely from ab initio computations. The features of our potentials are discussed, and compared to the single analytical potential which includes the anisotropy available in the literature, determined about twenty years ago by Udo Buck and co-workers using a semiempirical approach [U. Buck, A. Kolhase, D. Secrest, T. Phillips, G. Scoles and F. Grein, Mol. Phys., 1985, 55, 1233]. The differences among the three PES are quite relevant, and are due to play a relevant role in the theoretical simulations of the dynamical properties of the Ne-CH(4) system.

Microwave andab initiostudies of rare gas–methane van der Waals complexes

Rotational spectra of the weakly bound Kr-methane van der Waals complex were recorded using a pulsed molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectrometer in the range from 3.5 to 18 GHz. Spectra of 25 isotopomers of Kr-methane were assigned and analyzed. For isotopomers containing CH4, 13CH4, and CD4, two sets of transitions with K = 0 and one with K = 1 were recorded, correlating to the j = 0, 1, and 2 rotational levels of free methane, respectively (j is the rotational angular momentum quantum number of the methane monomer). For isotopomers containing CH3D and CHD3, two K = 0 components were recorded, correlating to the j(k) = 0(0) and 1(1) rotational levels of free methane (k corresponds to the projection of j onto the C3 axis of CH3D and CHD3). The obtained spectroscopic results were used to derive van der Waals bond distance R, van der Waals stretching frequency nu(s), and the corresponding stretching force constant k(s). Nuclear spin statistical weights of individual states were obtained from molecular symmetry group analyses and were compared with the observed relative transition intensities. The tentatively assigned j = 2 transitions were more intense than predicted from symmetry considerations. This is attributed to a relatively large effective dipole moment of this state, supported by ab initio dipole moment calculations. Ab initio potential energy calculations of Kr-CH4 and Ar-CH4 were done at the coupled cluster level of theory, with single and double excitations and perturbative inclusion of triple excitations, using the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set supplemented with bond functions. The theoretical results show that the angular dynamics of the dimer does not change significantly when the binding partner of methane changes from Ar to Kr. The dipole moment of Ar-CH4 was calculated at various configurations, providing a qualitative explanation for the unsuccessful spectral searches for rotational transitions of Ar-CH4.

Potential energy surface, bound states, and rotational inelastic cross sections of the He-CH[sub 4] system: A theoretical investigation

We determined two potential energy surfaces (PES) for the He-CH(4) system by means of MP4 and Valence Bond (VB) calculations. The MP4 potential is similar to the one commonly adopted for this system [U. Buck, K. H. Kohl, A. Kolhase, M. Faubel, and U. Staemmler, Mol. Phys. 55, 1255 (1985)], while the VB PES is slightly more attractive. To evaluate the reliability of these potentials, we investigated the scattering properties by performing close coupling calculations, and concluded that: (i) the available experimental data do not permit the ranking among the PES considered; (ii) some theoretical predictions differ considerably from the experimental data, and these discrepancies cannot entirely be ascribed to the inaccuracy of the ab initio calculations; (iii) the scattering properties at low energy might discriminate between the MP4 and VB potentials.