Photodissociation dynamics of the chloromethanes at the Lyman-α wavelength (121.6 nm)

Ionization of Dichloromethane by a Vacuum Ultraviolet Krypton Lamp: Competition Between Photoinduced Ion-Pair and Photodissociation-Assisted Photoionization

The photodissociation and photoionization behaviors of haloalkanes in the VUV regime are important to fully understand the mechanism of ozone depletion in the stratosphere. The ionization of dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂) under the irradiation of 10.0 and 10.6 eV light was investigated. CH₂Cl⁺ was observed at 10 Pa, while both CH₂Cl⁺ and CHCl₂⁺ were observed at higher pressure. The production efficiency of CH₂Cl⁺ decreased with the increasing number density of CH₂Cl₂, while that of CHCl₂⁺ increased. A kinetic model was successfully derived to quantitatively describe the variation trends of CH₂Cl⁺ and CHCl₂⁺, in which the competition between photoinduced ion-pair and photodissociation-assisted photoionization (PD-PI) were included. The ion-pair channel was quenched efficiently at higher pressure or concentration, which reduced its contribution. Our study proposed new insights into the complicated photoexcitation behaviors of CH₂Cl₂ in the VUV regime and revealed the important role of photodissociation in photoionization at low photon flux.

Photoinduced C–H bond fission in prototypical organic molecules and radicals

We survey and assess current knowledge regarding the primary photochemistry of hydrocarbon molecules and radicals.

Photochemistry of CH3Cl: Dissociation and CH···Cl Hydrogen Bond Formation

State-of-the-art electronic structure calculations (MR-CISD) are used to map five different dissociation channels of CH3Cl along the C-Cl coordinate: (i) CH3(X̃(2)A2″) + Cl((2)P), (ii) CH3(3s(2)A1') + Cl((2)P), (iii) CH3(+)((1)A1') + Cl(-)((1)S), (iv) CH3(3p(2)E') + Cl((2)P), and (v) CH3(3p(2)A2″) + Cl((2)P). By the first time these latter four dissociation channels, accessible upon VUV absorption, are described. The corresponding dissociation limits, obtained at the MR-CISD+Q level, are 3.70, 9.50, 10.08, 10.76, and 11.01 eV. The first channel can be accessed through nσ* and n3s states, while the second channel can be accessed through n(e)3s, n(e)3p(σ), and σ3s states. The third channel, corresponding to the CH3(+) + Cl(-) ion-pair, is accessed through n(e)3p(e) states. The fourth is accessed through n(e)3p(e), n(e)3p(σ), and σ3p(σ), while the fifth through σ3p(e) and σ(CH)σ* states. The population of the diverse channels is controlled by two geometrical spots, where intersections between multiple states allow a cascade of nonadiabatic events. The ion-pair dissociation occurs through formation of CH3(+)···Cl(-)and H2CH(+)···Cl(-) intermediate complexes bound by 3.69 and 4.65 eV. The enhanced stability of the H2CH(+)···Cl(-) complex is due to a CH···Cl hydrogen bond. A time-resolved spectroscopic setup is proposed to detect those complexes.

Determining the vibrational pattern via overtone cold spectra: C-H methyl stretches of propyne

Vibrationally mediated photodissociation and photoacoustic (PA) spectroscopy were employed for studying the intramolecular dynamics of propyne initially excited to the first through fourth overtone of methyl C-H stretching modes. Room-temperature PA and jet-cooled action spectra, monitoring the absorption of the parent and the yield of the ensuing H photofragments, respectively, were obtained. The PA spectra exhibit mainly broad features, while the action spectra, due to inhomogeneous structure reduction, expose multiple peaks of recognizable shapes in the differing overtone manifolds. Symmetric rotor simulations of the band contours of the action spectra allowed retrieving of band origins and linewidths. The linewidths of the bands in each manifold enabled estimates for energy redistribution times out of the corresponding states to the bath states, the times ranging from 18+/-6 ps for two quanta of C-H excitation to subpicosecond for five quanta. The data were also analyzed in terms of a normal-mode model and a joint local-/normal-mode model. These models enabled determination of harmonic frequencies, anharmonicities, and interaction parameters reproducing the observed data in all monitored regions and provided spectral assignments. The measured Doppler profiles were well fitted by Gaussians with widths suggesting low average translational energies for the released H photofragments. These low energies and their similarities to those for dissociation of propyne isotopomers preexcited to acetylenic C-H stretches were ascribed to an indirect dissociation process occurring after internal conversion to the ground electronic state and isomerization to allene.

Vibrational spectroscopy and intramolecular dynamics of 1-butyne

Photodissociation of jet-cooled vibrationally excited 1-butyne, C(2)H(5)C[Triple Bond]C[Single Bond]H, coupled with mass spectrometric detection of H photofragments, facilitated measurements of action spectra and Doppler profiles, expressing the yield of the ensuing fragments versus the vibrational excitation and UV probe lasers, respectively. Both the action spectra and the simultaneously measured room temperature photoacoustic spectra in the 2nu(1), 3nu(1), and 4nu(1) C[Single Bond]H acetylenic stretch regions exhibit unresolved rotational envelopes with significant narrowing of the former due to temperature-related change in the rotational structure. The narrowing of the action spectrum in the 3nu(1) region exposed a resonance splitting, implying intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) time of approximately 1 ps. Asymmetric rotor simulation of the band contours provided the rotational constants and estimates for the homogeneous broadening arising from IVR to the bath vibrational states. The homogenous linewidth of 4nu(1) is anomalously narrower than that of 2nu(1) and 3nu(1), indicating a longer lived 4nu(1) state despite the increasing background state density, suggestive of a lack of low-order resonances or of mode-specific coupling with the bath states. The Doppler profiles indicate that the H photofragments are released with low average translational energies, pointing to an indirect dissociation process occurring after internal conversion (IC) to the ground electronic state or after IC and isomerization to butadiene.