Ultrafast electron diffraction and direct observation of transient structures in a chemical reaction

Relativistic ultrafast electron diffraction at high repetition rates

The ability to resolve the dynamics of matter on its native temporal and spatial scales constitutes a key challenge and convergent theme across chemistry, biology, and materials science. The last couple of decades have witnessed ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) emerge as one of the forefront techniques with the sensitivity to resolve atomic motions. Increasingly sophisticated UED instruments are being developed that are aimed at increasing the beam brightness in order to observe structural signatures, but so far they have been limited to low average current beams. Here, we present the technical design and capabilities of the HiRES (High Repetition-rate Electron Scattering) instrument, which blends relativistic electrons and high repetition rates to achieve orders of magnitude improvement in average beam current compared to the existing state-of-the-art instruments. The setup utilizes a novel electron source to deliver femtosecond duration electron pulses at up to MHz repetition rates for UED experiments. Instrument response function of sub-500 fs is demonstrated with < 100 fs time resolution targeted in future. We provide example cases of diffraction measurements on solid-state and gas-phase samples, including both micro- and nanodiffraction (featuring 100 nm beam size) modes, which showcase the potential of the instrument for novel UED experiments.

Investigating the Photodissociation Dynamics of CF2BrCF2I in CCl4 through Femtosecond Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy

The photodissociation dynamics of CF₂BrCF₂I in CCl₄ at 280 ± 2 K were investigated by probing the C-F stretching mode from 300 fs to 10 μs after excitation at 267 nm using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy. The excitation led to the dissociation of I or Br atoms within 300 fs, producing the CF₂BrCF₂ or CF₂ICF₂ radicals, respectively. All nascent CF₂ICF₂ underwent further dissociation of I, producing CF₂CF₂ with a time constant of 56 ± 5 ns. All nascent g-CF₂BrCF₂ isomerized into the more stable a-CF₂BrCF₂ with a time constant of 47 ± 5 ps. Furthermore, a-CF₂BrCF₂ underwent a bimolecular reaction with either itself (producing CF₂BrCF₂Br and CF₂CF₂) or Br in the CCl₄ solution (producing CF₂BrCF₂Br) at a diffusion-limited rate. The secondary dissociation of Br from a-CF₂BrCF₂ was significantly slow to compete with the bimolecular reactions. Overall, approximately half of the excited CF₂BrCF₂I at 267 nm produced CF₂BrCF₂Br, whereas the other half produced CF₂CF₂. The excess energies in the nascent radicals were thermalized much faster than the secondary dissociation of I from CF₂ICF₂ and the observed bimolecular reactions, implying that the secondary reactions proceeded under thermal conditions. This study further demonstrates that structure-sensitive time-resolved infrared spectroscopy can be used to study various reaction dynamics in solution in real time.

Rotational Isomerization of Carbon-Carbon Single Bonds in Ethyl Radical Derivatives in a Room-Temperature Solution

The rotational isomerization of 1,2-disubstituted ethyl radical derivatives, reaction intermediates often found in the reaction of 1,2-disubstituted ethane derivatives, has never been measured because of their short lifetime and ultrafast rotation. However, the rotational time constant is critical for understanding the detailed reaction mechanism involving these radicals, which determine the stereoisomers of compounds produced via the intermediates. Using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy, we found that the CF₂BrCF₂ radical in a CCl₄ solution rotationally isomerizes with a time constant of 47 ± 5 ps at 280 ± 2 K. From this value and the rotational barrier heights of related compounds, CH₃CH₂ and CH₃CH₂CHCH₃ radicals in CCl₄ were estimated to rotationally isomerize within 1 ps at 298 K, considerably faster than ethane and n-butane, which rotationally isomerize with time constants of 1.8 and 81 ps, respectively. The time constant for the rotational isomerization was similar to that calculated using transition state theory with a transmission coefficient of 0.75.

Ultrafast Imaging of Molecular Dynamics Using Ultrafast Low-Frequency Lasers, X-ray Free Electron Lasers, and Electron Pulses

The requirement of high space-time resolution and brightness is a great challenge for imaging atomic motion and making molecular movies. Important breakthroughs in ultrabright tabletop laser, X-ray, and electron sources have enabled the direct imaging of evolving molecular structures in chemical processes, and recent experimental advances in preparing ultrafast laser and electron pulses resulted in molecular imaging with femtosecond time resolution. This Perspective presents an overview of the versatile imaging methods of molecular dynamics. High-order harmonic generation imaging and photoelectron diffraction imaging are based on laser-induced ionization and rescattering processes. Coulomb explosion imaging retrieves molecular structural information by detecting the momentum vectors of fragmented ions. Diffraction imaging encodes molecular structural and electronic information in reciprocal space. We also present various applications of these ultrafast imaging methods in resolving laser-induced nuclear and electronic dynamics.

Photodissociation of CF2ICF2I in solid para-hydrogen: infrared spectra of anti- and gauche-˙C2F4I radicals

Ultraviolet photolysis of 1,2-diiodotetrafluoroethane (CF₂ICF₂I) produced anti- and gauche-˙C₂F₄I radicals.

High current table-top setup for femtosecond gas electron diffraction

We have constructed an experimental setup for gas phase electron diffraction with femtosecond resolution and a high average beam current. While gas electron diffraction has been successful at determining molecular structures, it has been a challenge to reach femtosecond resolution while maintaining sufficient beam current to retrieve structures with high spatial resolution. The main challenges are the Coulomb force that leads to broadening of the electron pulses and the temporal blurring that results from the velocity mismatch between the laser and electron pulses as they traverse the sample. We present here a device that uses pulse compression to overcome the Coulomb broadening and deliver femtosecond electron pulses on a gas target. The velocity mismatch can be compensated using laser pulses with a tilted intensity front to excite the sample. The temporal resolution of the setup was determined with a streak camera to be better than 400 fs for pulses with up to half a million electrons and a kinetic energy of 90 keV. The high charge per pulse, combined with a repetition rate of 5 kHz, results in an average beam current that is between one and two orders of magnitude higher than previously demonstrated.

Ultrafast structural and isomerization dynamics in the Rydberg-exited quadricyclane: norbornadiene system

The quadricyclane-norbornadiene system is an important model for the isomerization dynamics between highly strained molecules. In a breakthrough observation for a polyatomic molecular system of that complexity, we follow the photoionization from Rydberg states in the time-domain to derive a measure for the time-dependent structural dynamics and the time-evolving structural dispersion even while the molecule is crossing electronic surfaces. The photoexcitation to the 3s and 3p Rydberg states deposits significant amounts of energy into vibrational motions. We observe the formation and evolution of the vibrational wavepacket on the Rydberg surface and the internal conversion from the 3p Rydberg states to the 3s state. In that state, quadricyclane isomerizes to norbornadiene with a time constant of τ(2) = 136(45) fs. The lifetime of the 3p Rydberg state in quadricyclane is τ(1) = 320(31) and the lifetime of the 3s Rydberg state in norbornadiene is τ(3) = 394(32).

Structural dynamics of 1,2-diiodoethane in cyclohexane probed by picosecond X-ray liquidography

We investigate the structural dynamics of iodine elimination reaction of 1,2-diiodoethane (C(2)H(4)I(2)) in cyclohexane by applying time-resolved X-ray liquidography (TRXL). The TRXL technique combines structural sensitivity of X-ray diffraction and 100 ps time resolution of X-ray pulses from synchrotron and allows direct probing of transient structure of reacting molecules. From the analysis of time-dependent X-ray solution scattering patterns using global fitting based on DFT calculation and MD simulation, we elucidate the kinetics and structure of transient intermediates resulting from photodissociation of C(2)H(4)I(2). In particular, the effect of solvent on the reaction kinetics and pathways is examined by comparison with an earlier TRXL study on the same reaction in methanol. In cyclohexane, the C(2)H(4)I radical intermediate undergoes two branched reaction pathways, formation of C(2)H(4)I-I isomer and direct dissociation into C(2)H(4) and I, while only isomer formation occurs in methanol. Also, the C(2)H(4)I-I isomer has a shorter lifetime in cyclohexane by an order of magnitude than in methanol. The difference in the reaction dynamics in the two solvents is accounted for by the difference in solvent polarity. In addition, we determine that the C(2)H(4)I radical has a bridged structure, not a classical structure, in cyclohexane.

Visualizing solution-phase reaction dynamics with time-resolved X-ray liquidography

Most chemical reactions occur in solution, and complex interactions between solute and solvent influence the rich chemistry of these processes. To track time-dependent processes in such reactions, researchers often use time-resolved spectroscopy. In these experiments, an optical pulse (pump) initiates a reaction, and another time-delayed optical pulse (probe) monitors the progress of the reaction. However, because of the wavelength range of the probe light used in these experiments, from infrared to ultraviolet, researchers cannot directly determine detailed structural information such as the bond lengths and bond angles of reaction intermediates. In addition, not all intermediates might be sensitive to the spectroscopic signal chosen for the experiment. This Account describes time-resolved X-ray liquidography (TRXL), a technique that overcomes these problems. In this technique, we replace the optical probe with the diffraction of hard X-ray pulses emitted from a synchrotron source. In TRXL, diffraction signals are sensitive to all chemical species simultaneously. In addition, each chemical species has a characteristic diffraction signal, a fingerprint, that we calculate from its three-dimensional atomic coordinates. Because, X-rays scatter from all atoms in the solution sample, including both the solute and the solvent, the analysis of TRXL data can track not only the reaction pathways of the solute molecules but also the solvent behavior and the solute-solvent arrangement, thus providing a global picture of the reactions. We have used TRXL to study structural dynamics and spatiotemporal kinetics of many molecular systems including diatomic molecules, haloalkanes, organometallic complexes, and protein molecules over timescales from picoseconds to milliseconds. We have observed that TRXL data adds to and, in some cases, contradicts results from time-resolved spectroscopy. For example, TRXL has shown that the reaction intermediates upon C-I bond dissociation in C(2)H(4)I(2) and C(2)F(4)I(2) have completely different structures and corresponding subsequent reaction pathways, underscoring the dramatic effect of the fluorine substitution. We have also used TRXL to identify a new reaction intermediate of the photolysis of Ru(3)(CO)(12) that has no bridging carbonyl groups. Though not detected by time-resolved infrared spectroscopy, this intermediate predominates based on the TRXL data. In looking at the quaternary conformational changes of hemoglobin, TRXL analysis suggests a faster transition than was suggested by optical spectroscopy. The time resolution of TRXL is currently limited by the X-ray pulse width available from synchrotron sources ( approximately 100 ps). The resolution should improve to 100 fs or better with X-ray free electron lasers. With this higher resolution, real time observation of ultrafast chemical events such as bond-breaking and bond-making will be possible.

4D ultrafast electron diffraction, crystallography, and microscopy

In this review, we highlight the progress made in the development of 4D ultrafast electron diffraction (UED), crystallography (UEC), and microscopy (UEM) with a focus on concepts, methodologies, and prototypical applications. The joint atomic-scale resolutions in space and time, and sensitivity reached, make it possible to determine complex transient structures and assemblies in different phases. These applications include studies of isolated chemical reactions (molecular beams), interfaces, surfaces and nanocrystals, self-assembly, and 2D crystalline fatty-acid bilayers. In 4D UEM, we are now able, using timed, single-electron packets, to image nano-to-micro scale structures of materials and biological cells. Future applications of these methods are foreseen across areas of physics, chemistry, and biology.

Ultrafast Electron Diffraction: Dynamical Structures on Complex Energy Landscapes

In this contribution, we report studies in ultrafast electron diffraction (UED), with the aim of exploring new directions. The main focus is on the determination of complex structures and their dynamics with spatial and temporal resolutions sufficient to give an atomic-scale picture for the evolution in chemical or biological change. We also provide the theoretical framework for UED, and compare the experimental findings of UED to those predicted by density functional and charge density calculations. Selected applications are given in order to highlight phenomena related to concepts such as bifurcation of trajectories in dynamics, far-from-equilibrium coherent structures, and conformational robustness in biological structures. For the former two cases, we consider chemical systems, and, for the latter, we examine proteins of 200 atoms (angiotensin I) or more.

Ultracold electron source

We propose a technique for producing electron bunches that has the potential for advancing the state-of-the-art in brightness of pulsed electron sources by orders of magnitude. In addition, this method leads to femtosecond bunch lengths without the use of ultrafast lasers or magnetic compression. The electron source we propose is an ultracold plasma with electron temperatures down to 10 K, which can be fashioned from a cloud of laser-cooled atoms by photoionization just above threshold. Here we present results of simulations in a realistic setting, showing that an ultracold plasma has an enormous potential as a bright electron source.

Femtosecond lasers in gas phase chemistry

This critical review is intended to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in femtosecond laser technology and recent applications in ultrafast gas phase chemical dynamics. Although "femtochemistry" is not a new subject, there have been some tremendous advances in experimental techniques during the last few years. Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and ultrafast electron diffraction have enabled us to observe molecular dynamics through a wider window. Attosecond laser sources, which have so far only been exploited in atomic physics, have the potential to probe chemical dynamics on an even faster timescale and observe the motions of electrons. Huge progress in pulse shaping and pulse characterisation methodology is paving the way for exciting new advances in the field of coherent control.

Structures of bromoalkanes' photodissociation in solution by means of ultrafast extended x-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy

The structures of initial and final products of bromoalkanes' photodisociation reaction in cyclohexane solution have been measured with a bond length accuracy of 0.02 A by means of ultrafast time-resolved extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The photoredaction mechanism is also discussed.

Visualizing photochemical dynamics in solution through picosecond x-ray scattering

A photoexcited state of molecular iodine in solution is observed using diffuse x-ray scattering at a synchrotron source. The measured changes in the diffuse scattering profile were consistent with earlier models of iodine's photodissociation and geminate recombination reaction, for which the recombined A/A(') state has a 0.4 A greater interatomic spacing than the resting state and has a lifetime of 500 ps in CH2Cl2. This technique should find application in the study of increasingly complicated photochemical systems which undergo structural rearrangements following rapid photolysis.

Direct imaging of transient molecular structures with ultrafast diffraction

Ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) has been developed to study transient structures in complex chemical reactions initiated with femtosecond laser pulses. This direct imaging of reactions was achieved using our third-generation apparatus equipped with an electron pulse (1.07 +/- 0.27 picoseconds) source, a charge-coupled device camera, and a mass spectrometer. Two prototypical gas-phase reactions were studied: the nonconcerted elimination reaction of a haloethane, wherein the structure of the intermediate was determined, and the ring opening of a cyclic hydrocarbon containing no heavy atoms. These results demonstrate the vastly improved sensitivity, resolution, and versatility of UED for studying ultrafast structural dynamics in complex molecular systems.