Investigation of O2-X (X = Pyrrole or Pyridine) Cluster Photodissociation Near 226 nm

We have recorded the O-atom velocity map photofragment ion images resulting from the photodissociation of O₂-pyrrole and O₂-pyridine clusters near 226 nm. To record the images, the O-atom photoproduct was state-selectively ionized and projected onto a two-dimensional (2D) position-sensitive detector. The resulting ion images from the clusters show evidence for three dissociation pathways. In the images from either cluster, we observe an isotropic process with kinetic energy near the one-photon limit, which is due to dissociation of the cluster into molecular subunits followed by secondary dissociation of molecular oxygen. Both O₂-pyrrole and O₂-pyridine also show a low kinetic energy process that appears to be isotropic in nature. This low kinetic energy process likely results from dissociation of the cluster resulting in significant internal energy in the organic fragment followed by secondary dissociation of O₂. Finally, our ion images for O₂-pyrrole show O atoms resulting from a two-photon dissociation channel, which has been previously attributed to the formation and subsequent photodissociation of excited O₂ (a ¹Δ_g). At similar laser intensities, O₂-pyridine does not show significant dissociation through the channel producing O₂ (a ¹Δ_g); however, this channel shows a laser intensity dependence for O₂-pyridine.

O2-·[Polar VOC] Complexes: H-Bonding versus Charge-Dipole Interactions, and the Noninnocence of Formaldehyde

Anion photoelectron imaging was used to measure the photodetachment spectra of molecular complexes formed between O₂^- and a range of atmospherically relevant polar molecules, including species with a carbonyl group (acetone, formaldehyde) and alcohols (ethanol, propenol, butenol). Experimental spectra are analyzed using a combination of Franck-Condon simulations and electronic structure calculations. Strong charge-dipole interactions and H-bonding stabilize the complex anions relative to the neutrals, resulting in a ca. 1 eV increase in electron binding energy relative to bare O₂^-, an effect more pronounced in complexes with H-bonding. In addition, broken degeneracy of the O₂-local π_g orbitals in the complexes results in the stabilization of the low-lying excited O₂ (a ¹Δ_g)·[polar VOC] state relative to the ground O₂ (X ³Σ_g^-)·[polar VOC] state when compared to bare O₂. The spectra of the O₂^-·[polar VOC] complexes exhibit less pronounced laser photoelectron angular distribution (PADs). The spectrum of O₂^-·formaldehyde is unique in terms of both spectral profile and PAD. On the basis of these experimental results in addition to computational results, the complex anion cannot be described as a distinct O₂^- anion partnered with an innocent solvent molecule; the molecules are more strongly coupled through charge delocalization. Overall, the results underscore how the symmetry of the O₂ π_g orbitals is broken by different polar partners, which may have implications for atmospheric photochemistry and models of solar radiation absorption that include collision-induced absorption.

Photoelectron Imaging Spectra of O2-·VOC and O4-·VOC Complexes

The anion photoelectron imaging spectra of O₂^-·VOC and O₄^-·VOC (VOC = hexane, isoprene, benzene, and benzene-d₆) complexes measured using 3.49 eV photon energy, along with the results of ab initio and density functional theory results are reported and analyzed. Photodetachment of these anionic complexes accesses neutrals that model collision complexes, offering a probe of the effects of symmetry-breaking collision events on the electronic structure of normally transparent neutral molecules. The energies of O₂^-·VOC spectral features compared to the bare O₂^- indicate that photodetachment of the anion accesses a modestly repulsive region of the O₂-VOC potential energy surface, with subtle VOC dependence on the relative energies of the O₂ (X ³Σ_g^-)·VOC ground state and O₂ (a ¹Δ_g)·VOC excited state. In contrast, a significantly higher intensity of the transition to the O₂ (a ¹Δ_g)·VOC excited state relative to the O₂ (X ³Σ_g^-)·VOC ground state is observed for VOC = benzene, with a less pronounced effect observed for VOC = isoprene. Similar spectral effects are observed in the O₄^-·benzene and O₄^-·isoprene PE spectra. Several explanations are considered, with involvement of a temporary anion state emerging as the most plausible.