Photodissociation of water. II. Wave packet calculations for the photofragmentation of H2O and D2O in the B̃ band

The vibronic state dependent predissociation of H2S: determination of all fragmentation processes

Photochemistry plays a significant role in shaping the chemical reaction network in the solar nebula and interstellar clouds. However, even in a simple triatomic molecule photodissociation, determination of all fragmentation processes is yet to be achieved. In this work, we present a comprehensive study of the photochemistry of H₂S, derived from cutting-edge translational spectroscopy measurements of the H, S(¹D) and S(¹S) atom products formed by photolysis at wavelengths across the range 155-120 nm. The results provide detailed insights into the energy disposal in the SH(X), SH(A) and H₂ co-fragments, and the atomisation routes leading to two H atoms along with S(³P) and S(¹D) atoms. Theoretical calculations allow the dynamics of all fragmentation processes, especially the bimodal internal energy distributions in the diatomic products, to be rationalised in terms of non-adiabatic transitions between potential energy surfaces of both ¹A' and ¹A'' symmetry. The comprehensive picture of the wavelength-dependent (or vibronic state-dependent) photofragmentation behaviour of H₂S will serve as a text-book example illustrating the importance of non-Born-Oppenheimer effects in molecular photochemistry, and the findings should be incorporated in future astrochemical modelling.

Non-Born-Oppenheimer effects in molecular photochemistry: an experimental perspective

Non-adiabatic couplings between Born-Oppenheimer (BO)-derived potential energy surfaces are now recognized as pivotal in describing the non-radiative decay of electronically excited molecules following photon absorption. This opinion piece illustrates how non-BO effects provide photostability to many biomolecules when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, yet in many other cases are key to facilitating 'reactive' outcomes like isomerization and bond fission. The examples are presented in order of decreasing molecular complexity, spanning studies of organic sunscreen molecules in solution, through two families of heteroatom containing aromatic molecules and culminating with studies of isolated gas phase H₂O molecules that afford some of the most detailed insights yet available into the cascade of non-adiabatic couplings that enable the evolution from photoexcited molecule to eventual products. This article is part of the theme issue 'Chemistry without the Born-Oppenheimer approximation'.

Photodissociation Dynamics of H2O via the Ẽ' (1B2) Electronic State

Photodissociation dynamics of H₂O via the Ẽ'¹B₂ state were studied using the high-resolution H atom photofragment translational spectroscopy method, in combination with the tunable vacuum ultraviolet free electron laser (VUV FEL). The measured translational energy spectra allow us to determine the respective quantum state population distributions for the nascent OH(X²Π) and OH(A²Σ⁺) photofragments. Analyses of the quantum state population distributions show both the ground and electronically excited OH fragments to be formed with moderate vibrational excitation but with highly rotational excitation. Unlike the dissociation via the lower-lying electronic states, where OH(X) is the major fragment, the OH(A) products are predominant via the Ẽ' state. These products are mainly ascribed to a fast dissociation on the B̃¹A₁ state surface after nonadiabatic transitions from the initial excited Ẽ' state to the B̃ state. Meanwhile, another dissociation pathway from the Ẽ' state to the ¹B₂ 3pb₂ state, followed by coupling to the ¹A₂ 3pb₂ state, is also observed, which yields the OH(X) + H and O(³P) + 2H products.

The role of the three body photodissociation channel of water in the evolution of dioxygen in astrophysical applications

A recent experiment at the Dalian Coherent Light Source (DCLS) has provided measurements of the partial cross sections for the photodissociation of water vapor over an unprecedented range of wavelengths in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region. It was found that the three body dissociation channel, H + H + O(3P/1D), becomes prominent at wavelengths shorter than the Lyman α-line at 121.6 nm. The present work explores the kinetic consequences of this discovery for several astrophysically motivated examples. The irradiation of a dilute low-temperature gas by unscreened solar radiation, similar to early stage photochemical processing in a comet coma, shows significant increase in the production of O2-molecules at shorter times, <1 day, that might physically correspond to the photochemical reaction zone of the coma. Several examples of planetary atmospheres show increased O-atom production at high altitudes but relatively little modification of the equilibrium O2 concentrations predicted by conventional models.

Photodissociation dynamics of H2O and D2O via the D[combining tilde](1A1) electronic state

Photodissociation dynamics of H₂O and D₂O via the D[combining tilde] state by one-photon excitation have been investigated using the H/D atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight technique. The TOF spectra of the H/D-atom product in both parallel and perpendicular polarizations have been measured. Product translational energy distributions and angular distributions have been derived from TOF spectra. By simulating these distributions, quantum state distributions of the OH/OD product as well as the state-resolved angular anisotropy parameters were determined. The most important pathway of H₂O/D₂O dissociation via the D[combining tilde] state leads to highly rotationally excited OH/OD(X, v = 0) products, while vibrationally excited OH/OD products with v≥ 1 comprise only one third of the total OH/OD(X) population. The branching ratios of OH(A)/OH(X) and OD(A)/OD(X) have also been determined, 1.0/3.0 for H₂O at 122.12 nm and 1.0/2.2 for D₂O at 121.95 nm, which are reasonably consistent with the values predicted by the previous theory.

Striking Isotopologue-Dependent Photodissociation Dynamics of Water Molecules: The Signature of an Accidental Resonance

Investigations of the photofragmentation patterns of both light and heavy water at the state-to-state level are a prerequisite for any thorough understanding of chemical processing and isotope heterogeneity in the interstellar medium. Here we reveal dynamical features of the dissociation of water molecules following excitation to the C̃(010) state using a tunable vacuum ultraviolet source in combination with the high-resolution H(D)-atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight technique. The action spectra for forming H(D) atoms and the OH(OD) product state distributions resulting from excitation to the C̃(010) states of H₂O and D₂O both show striking differences, which are attributable to the effects of an isotopologue-specific accidental resonance. Such accidental-resonance-induced state mixing may contribute to the D/H isotope heterogeneity in the solar system. The present study provides an excellent example of competitive state-to-state nonadiabatic decay pathways involving at least five electronic states.

Hydroxyl Radical Fluorescence and Quantum Yield Following Lyman-α Photoexcitation of Water Vapor in a Room Temperature Cell and Cooled in a Supersonic Expansion

Photoexcitation of water by Lyman-α (121.6 nm) induces a dissociation reaction that produces OH(A²Σ⁺) + H. Despite this reaction being part of numerous studies, a combined understanding of the product and fluorescence yields is still lacking. Here, the rotational and vibrational distributions of OH(A) are determined from dispersed fluorescence following photoexcitation of both room-temperature and jet-cooled water vapor, for the first time in the same experiment. This work compares new data of state-resolved fluorescence with literature molecular branching ratios and brings previous studies into agreement through careful consideration of OH(A) fluorescent and predissociation lifetimes and confirms a fluorescent quantum yield of 8%. Comparison of the room-temperature and jet-cooled OH(A) populations indicate the temperature of H₂O prior to excitation has subtle effects on the OH(A) population distribution, such as altering the rotational distribution in the ν' = 0 population and affecting the population in the ν' = 1 state. These results indicate jet-cooled water vapor may have a 1% higher fluorescence quantum yield compared to room-temperature water vapor.

Tunable VUV photochemistry using vacuum ultraviolet free electron laser combined with H-atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight spectroscopy

In this article, we describe an experimental setup for studying tunable vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry using the H-atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight technique. In this apparatus, two vacuum ultraviolet laser beams were used: one is generated by using a nonlinear four-wave mixing scheme in a Kr gas cell and fixed at 121.6 nm wavelength to probe the H-atom product through the Lyman α transition and the other beam, produced by a seeded free electron laser facility, can be continuously tunable for photodissociating molecules in the wavelength range of 50-150 nm with extremely high brightness. Preliminary results on the H₂O photodissociation in the 4d (000) Rydberg state are reported here. These results suggest that the experimental setup is a powerful tool for investigating photodissociation dynamics in the vacuum ultraviolet region for molecules involving H-atom elimination processes.

An accidental resonance mediated predissociation pathway of water molecules excited to the electronic C̃ state

Accidental resonance enhances the predissociation of the C̃(010) state of H₂O.

Accurate nonadiabatic dynamics

This Perspective addresses the use of coupled diabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) together with rigorous quantum dynamics in full or reduced dimensional coordinate spaces to obtain accurate solutions to problems in nonadiabatic dynamics.

Product fine-structure resolved photodissociation dynamics: the A band of H2O

The photodissociation dynamics of H2O in its first absorption band is investigated on an accurate potential energy surface based on a large number of high-level ab initio points. Several ro-vibrational states of the parent molecule are considered. Different from most previous theoretical studies, the spin-orbit and Λ-doublet populations of the open-shell OH fragment are reported from full-dimensional wave packet calculations. The populations of the two spin-orbit manifolds are in most cases close to the statistical limit, but the Λ-doublet is dominated by the A(") component, thanks largely to the fast in-plane dissociation of H2O(Ã(1)A('')). Comparisons with experimental data and a Franck-Condon model are generally very good, although some discrepancies exist.

State-to-state photodissociation dynamics of triatomic molecules: H2O in the B band

State-to-state photodissociation dynamics of H(2)O in its B band has been investigated quantum mechanically on a new set of non-adiabatically coupled potential energy surfaces for the lowest two (1)A' states of H(2)O, which are developed at the internally contracted multi-reference configuration interaction level with the aug-cc-pVQZ basis set. Quantum dynamical calculations carried out using the Chebyshev propagator yield absorption spectra, product state distributions, branching ratios, and differential cross sections, which are in reasonably good agreement with the latest experimental results. Particular focus is placed here on the dependence of various dynamical observables on the photon energy. Detailed analyses of the dynamics have assigned the diffuse structure in absorption spectrum to short-time recurring dynamics near the HOH conical intersection. The non-adiabatic dissociation to the ground state OH product via the HOH conical intersection is facile, direct, fast, and produces rotationally hot OH(X̃) products. On the other hand, the adiabatic channel on the excited state leading to the OH(Ã) product is dominated by long-lived resonances, which depend sensitively on the potential energy surfaces.

Photochemistry of the water molecule: adiabatic versus nonadiabatic dynamics

Water and light are two common constituents of both the earth's atmosphere and interstellar space. Consequently, water photodissociation is a central component of the chemistry of these environments. Electronically excited molecules can dissociate adiabatically (on a single potential energy surface, or PES) or nonadiabatically (with transfer between PESs), and water serves as a prototype for understanding these two processes in unimolecular dissociation. In recent years, extensive experimental and theoretical studies have been focused on water photolysis, particularly on the primary product of the dissociation, the OH radical. The use of the high-resolution H-atom Rydberg tagging technique, in combination with various vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) sources, has spurred significant advances in water photochemistry. As the excitation energy increases, different excited electronic states of water can be reached, and the mutual interactions between these states increase significantly. In this Account, we present the most recent developments in water photodissociation that have been derived from the study of the four lowest electronic excited states. The Ã(1)B(1) state photodissociation of H(2)O has been studied at 157.6 nm and was found to be a fast and direct dissociation process on a single repulsive surface, with only vibrational excitation of the OH(X(2)Π) product. In contrast, the dissociation of the B̃(1)A(1) state was found to proceed via two main routes: one adiabatic pathway leading to OH(A(2)Σ(+)) + H, and one nonadiabatic pathway to OH(X(2)Π) + H through conical intersections between the B̃ state and the ground state X̃(1)A(1). An interesting quantum interference between two conical intersection pathways has also been observed. In addition, photodissociation of H(2)O between 128 and 133 nm has been studied with tunable VUV radiation. Experimental results illustrate that excitation to the different unstable resonances of the state has very different effects on the OH(X(2)Π) and OH(A(2)Σ(+)) product channels. The C̃(1)B(1) state of H(2)O is a predissociative Rydberg state with fully resolved rotational structures. A striking variation in the OH product state distribution and its stereodynamics has been observed for different rotational states. There are two kinds of nonadiabatic dissociation routes on the C̃ state. The first involves Renner-Teller (electronic Coriolis) coupling to the B̃ state, leading to rotationally hot and vibrationally cold OH products. The second goes through a newly discovered homogeneous nonadiabatic coupling to the à state, leading to rotationally cold and vibrationally hot OH products. But the D̃(1)A(1) state shows no rotational structure and leads to a fast, homogeneous, purely electronic predissociation to the B̃ state. These studies demonstrate the truly fascinating nature of water photochemistry, which is extremely variable because of the different electronic states and their interactions. The results also provide a rather complete picture of water photochemistry and should be helpful in the modeling of interstellar chemistry, with its abundant VUV radiation.

Two-photon photodissociation dynamics of H2O via the D electronic state

Photodissociation dynamics of H(2)O via the D state by two-photon absorption have been investigated using the H-atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight technique. The action spectrum of the D<--X transition band has been measured. The predissociation lifetime of the D state is determined to be about 13.5 fs. The quantum state-resolved OH product translational energy distributions and angular distributions have also been measured. By carefully simulating these distributions, quantum state distributions of the OH product as well as the state-resolved angular anisotropy parameters were determined. The most important pathway of the H(2)O dissociation via the D state leads to the highly rotationally excited OH(X,v=0) products. Vibrationally excited OH(X) products (up to v=10) and electronically excited OH(A,v=0,1,2) have also been observed. The OH(A)/OH(X) branching ratios are determined to be 17.9% at 244.540 nm (2omega(1)=81,761.4 cm(-1)) and 19.9% at 244.392 nm (2omega(2)=81,811 cm(-1)), which are considerably smaller than the value predicted by the theory. These discrepancies are attributed to the nonadiabatic coupling effect between the B and D surfaces at the bent geometry.

Quantum mechanical calculations for the H2O + hnu --> O(1D) + H2 photodissociation process

Quantum mechanical wavepacket calculations for the photodissociation of water in the second absorption band are presented. Using O + H2 Jacobi coordinates, partial cross sections for the O(1D) + H2 channel are calculated for different initial rotational states. Conical intersection and Renner-Teller effects are included. The branching ratios for the four accessible dissociation channels at 121.6 nm are in good agreement with experiment (J. Chem. Phys. 1982, 77, 2432). The calculations predict significant rotational and vibrational excitation of the H2 fragments. Photodissociation of ortho and para water produces predominantly, but not exclusively, ortho and para H2 fragments, respectively.

Computational studies of aqueous-phase photochemistry and the hydrated electron in finite-size clusters

A survey of recent ab initio calculations on excited electronic states of water clusters and various chromophore-water clusters is given. Electron and proton transfer processes in these systems have been characterized by the determination of electronic wave functions, minimum-energy reaction paths and potential-energy profiles. It is pointed out that the transfer of a neutral hydrogen atom (leading to biradicals) rather than the transfer of a proton (leading to ion pairs) is the generic excited-state reaction mechanism in these systems. The hydrated hydronium radical, (H3O)(aq), plays a central role in this scenario. The electronic and vibrational spectra of H3O(H2O)(n) clusters and the decay mechanism of these metastable species have been investigated in some detail. The results suggest that (H3O)(aq) could be the carrier of the characteristic spectroscopic properties of the hydrated electron in liquid water.

Quantitative spectroscopic and theoretical study of the optical absorption spectra of H2O, HOD, and D2O in the 125-145 nm region

The room temperature absorption spectra of water and its isotopomers D2O and HOD have been determined in absolute cross section units in the 125 to 145 nm wavelength region using synchrotron radiation. The experimental results for these B band spectra are compared with results from quantum mechanical calculations using accurate diabatic ab initio potentials. A Monte Carlo sampling over the initial rotational states of the molecules is applied in order to calculate the cross sections at a temperature of 300 K. The overall rotation of the water molecule is treated exactly. Both for the experimental and for the theoretical spectrum an analysis is made in terms of a component attributed to rapid direct dissociation processes and a component attributed to longer-lived resonances. The agreement between the results from experiment and theory is excellent for H2O and D2O. In the case of HOD in the results of theory two more resonances are found at low energy. It is demonstrated that the width of the resonances of 0.04 eV is the result of overlapping and somewhat narrower resonances in the spectra of molecules differing in rotational ground state.

Photochemistry of water: The (H2O)5 cluster

The structures of the cyclic water pentamer, the H3O+(H2O)3OH- zwitterion, and the H3O(H2O)3OH biradical form of the (H2O)5 cluster have been determined with the second-order Møller-Plesset method and with density-functional theory (DFT). The vertical singlet excitation energies of these structures have been calculated with the second-order approximated coupled-cluster method and with time-dependent DFT, respectively. The molecular and electronic structures of the H3O(H2O)3OH biradical have been characterized for the first time. The lowest electronic states of the biradical are slightly lower in energy than the vertically excited states of the covalent and zwitterionic (H2O)5 clusters and therefore are photochemically accessible from the latter. The electronic absorption spectrum of the biradical exhibits the characteristic features of the absorption spectrum of the hydrated electron. It is argued that the basic mechanisms of the photochemistry of water, in particular the generation of the hydrated electron by UV photons, can be unraveled by relatively straightforward electronic structure and dynamics calculations for finite-size water clusters.

Ultrafast predissociation dynamics of water molecules excited to the electronic C̃ and D̃ states

Two-photon excitation with femtosecond laser pulses in the spectral range 240-250 nm was used to prepare vapor phase H(2)O and D(2)O in the C (1)B(1) and D (1)A(1) states. Both states are predissociated via the B (1)A(1) state, forming excited OH/OD(A (2)Sigma(+)) as well as ground state OH/OD(X (2)Pi). We used ultrashort infrared probe pulses (1.65-2.42 microm) to control the ratio between these excited and ground state fragments originating from the dissociation process. Time resolved detection of the OH/OD(A (2)Sigma(+)) --> OH/OD(X (2)Pi) fluorescence allows us to monitor the dynamics of the predissociation. For the heterogeneous predissociation out of the C(1)B(1) state life times of (0.5 +/- 0.1) ps and (1.2 +/- 0.1) ps were found for H(2)O and D(2)O, respectively. The purely homogeneous character of the predissociation out of the D (1)A(1) state was monitored.

State-resolved dynamics of photofragmentation

We discuss experiments on the dynamics of photodissociation that employ methods to select the energy, sometimes quantum states, of the reactant and to determine the quantum states and energy, sometimes also the orientation and alignment, of products. A summary of new advances of experimental methods is followed by applications to photodissociation of various types. Representative examples of simple bond fission, molecular elimination, and three-body dissociation with determined electronic states-sometimes the orientation of their angular momentum-of product atoms or distributions of electronic and internal states of product molecules illustrate the detailed information and insight that one can derive from such experiments. Photodissociation of van der Waals complexes, ions, species adsorbed on surfaces, and species in solution is excluded from this review.