Photoelectron spectrum of the pyridyl radical.

We report the photoelectron spectrum of the pyridyl radical (C5H4N), a species of interest in astrochemistry and combustion. The radicals were produced via hydrogen abstraction in a fluorine discharge and ionized with synchrotron radiation. Mass-selected slow photoelectron spectra of the products were obtained from photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectra. A Franck-Condon simulation based on computed geometries and vibrational frequencies identified contributions of the o- and p-pyridyl radicals. For the o-isomer an adiabatic ionisation energy of 7.70 eV was obtained, in excellent agreement with a computed value of 7.72 eV. The spectrum of o-pyridyl is characterized by a long progression in an in-plane bending mode and the N-C stretch that contains the radical site.

Combined experimental and computational study of the reactivity of the methanimine radical cation (H2CNH˙+) and its isomer aminomethylene (HCNH2˙+) with propene (CH3CHCH2).

The gas phase reactivity of the radical cation isomers H2CNH˙+ (methanimine) and HCNH2˙+ (aminomethylene) with propene (CH3CHCH2) has been investigated by measuring absolute reactive cross sections and product branching ratios, under single collision conditions, as a function of collision energy (in the range ∼0.07-11.80 eV) using guided ion beam mass spectrometry coupled with VUV photoionization for selective isomer generation. Experimental results have been merged with theoretical calculations to elucidate reaction pathways and structures of products. The H2CNH˙+ isomer is over a factor two more reactive than HCNH2˙+. A major channel from both isomers is production of protonated methanimine CH2NH2+via hydrogen-atom transfer reaction but, while H2CNH˙+ additionally gives charge and proton transfer products, the HCNH2˙+ isomer leads instead to protonated vinylimine CH2CHCHNH2+, produced alongside CH3˙ radicals. The reactions have astrochemical implications in the build up of chemical complexity in both the interstellar medium and the hydrocarbon-rich atmospheres of planets and satellites.

The role of intersystem crossing in the reactive collision of S+(4S) with H2.

We report a study on the reactive collision of S+(4S) with H2, HD, and D2 combining guided ion beam experiments and quantum-mechanical calculations. It is found that the reactive cross sections reflect the existence of two different mechanisms, one being spin-forbidden. Using different models, we demonstrate that the spin-forbidden pathway follows a complex mechanism involving three electronic states instead of two as previously thought. The good agreement between theory and experiment validates the methodology employed and allows us to fully understand the reaction mechanism. This study also provides new fundamental insights into the intersystem crossing process.

Reactivity of the Ethenium Cation (C2H5+) with Ethyne (C2H2): A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study.

The gas-phase reaction between the ethyl cation (C2H5+) and ethyne (C2H2) is re-investigated by measuring absolute reactive cross sections (CSs) and branching ratios (BRs) as a function of collision energy, in the thermal and hyperthermal energy range, via tandem-guided ion beam mass spectrometry under single collision conditions. Dissociative photoionization of C2H5Br using tuneable VUV radiation in the range 10.5-14.0 eV is employed to generate C2H5+, which has also allowed us to explore the impact of increasing (vibrational) excitation on the reactivity. Reactivity experiments are complemented by theoretical calculations, at the G4 level of theory, of the relative energies and structures of the most relevant stationary points on the reactive potential energy hypersurface (PES) and by mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectrometry experiments to probe the metastable decomposition from the [C4H7]+ PES and elucidate the underlying reaction mechanisms. Two main product channels have been identified at a centre-of-mass collision energy of ∼0.1 eV: (a) C3H3++CH4, with BR = 0.76±0.05 and (b) C4H5++H2, with BR = 0.22±0.02. A third channel giving C2H3+ in association with C2H4 is shown to emerge at both high internal excitation of C2H5+ and high collision energies. From CS measurements, energy-dependent total rate constants in the range 4.3×10-11-5.2×10-10 cm3·molecule-1·s-1 have been obtained. Theoretical calculations indicate that both channels stem from a common covalently bound intermediate, CH3CH2CHCH+, from which barrierless and exothermic pathways exist for the production of both cyclic c-C3H3+ and linear H2CCCH+ isomers of the main product channel. For the minor C4H5+ product, two isomers are energetically accessible: the three-member cyclic isomer c-C3H2(CH3)+ and the higher energy linear structure CH2CHCCH2+, but their formation requires multiple isomerization steps and passages via transition states lying only 0.11 eV below the reagents' energy, thus explaining the smaller BR. Results have implications for the modeling of hydrocarbon chemistry in the interstellar medium and the atmospheres of planets and satellites as well as in laboratory plasmas (e.g., plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of carbon nanotubes and diamond-like carbon films).

Monitoring the Light-induced Isomerisation of the Prototypical Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons C10 H8 + through Ion-Molecule Reactions.

Structural rearrangements in ions are essential for understanding the composition and evolution of energetic and chemically active environments. This study explores the interconversion routes for simple polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, namely naphthalene and azulene radical cations (C10 H8 + ), by combining mass spectrometry and vacuum ultraviolet tunable synchrotron radiation through the chemical monitoring technique. Products of ion-molecule reactions are used to probe C10 H8 + structures that are formed as a function of their internal energies. Isomerisation from azulene radical cation towards naphthalene radical cation in a timescale faster than 80 µs was monitored, whereas no reverse isomerisation was observed in the same time window. When energising C10 H8 + with more than 6 eV, the reactivity of C10 H8 + unveils the formation of a new isomeric group with a contrasted reactivity compared with naphthalene and azulene cations. We tentatively assigned these structures to phenylvinylacetylene cations.

H2O˙+ and OH+ reactivity versus furan: experimental low energy absolute cross sections for modeling radiation damage.

Radiotherapy is one of the most widespread and efficient strategies to fight malignant tumors. Despite its broad application, the mechanisms of radiation-DNA interaction are still under investigation. Theoretical models to predict the effects of a particular delivered dose are still in their infancy due to the difficulty of simulating a real cell environment, as well as the inclusion of a large variety of secondary processes. This work reports the first experimental study of the ion-molecule reactions of the H2O˙+ and OH+ ions, produced by photoionization with synchrotron radiation, with a furan (c-C4H4O) molecule, a template for deoxyribose sugar in DNA. The present experiments, performed as a function of the collision energy of the ions and the tunable photoionization energy, provide key parameters for the theoretical modelling of the effect of radiation dose, like the absolute cross sections for producing protonated furan (furanH+) and a radical cation (furan˙+), the most abundant products, which can amount up to 200 Å2 at very low collision energies (<1.0 eV). The experimental results show that furanH+ is more fragile, indicating how the protonation of the sugar component of the DNA may favor its dissociation with possible major radiosensitizing effects. Moreover, the ring opening of furanH+ isomers and the potential energy surface of the most important fragmentation channels have been explored by molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemistry calculations. The results show that, in the most stable isomer of furanH+, the ring opening occurs via a low energy pathway with carbon-oxygen bond cleavage, followed by the loss of neutral carbon monoxide and the formation of the allyl cation CH2CHCH2+, which instead is not observed in the fragmentation of furan˙+. At higher energies the ring opening through the carbon-carbon bond is accompanied by the loss of formaldehyde, producing HCCCH2+, the most intense fragment ion detected in the experiments. This work highlights the importance of the secondary processes, like the ion-molecule reactions at low energies in the radiation damage due to their very large cross sections, and it aims to provide benchmark data for the development of suitable models to approach this low collision energy range.

Structural Elucidation of C6 H4 +. Using Chemical Reaction Monitoring: Charge Transfer Versus Bond Forming Reactions.

Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool but when used on its own, without specific activation of ions, the ion mass is the single observable and the structural information is absent. One way of retrieving this information is by using ion-molecule reactions. We propose a general method to disentangle isomeric structures by combining mass spectrometry, tunable synchrotron light source, and quantum-chemistry calculations. We use reactive chemical monitoring technique, which consists in tracking reactivity changes as a function of photoionization energy i. e. the ionic structure. We illustrate the power of this technique with charge transfer reactions of C6 H4 +. isomers with allene and propyne and discuss its universal applicability. Furthermore, we emphasize the special reactivity characteristics of distonic ions, where strong charge transfer reactivity but very limited reactivity involving bond formation and following cleavages were observed and attributed to the unconventional ortho-benzyne distonic cation.

Study of the Reactivity of CH3COOH+• and COOH+ Ions with CH3NH2: Evidence of the Formation of New Peptide-like C(O)-N Bonds.

Acetamide, a small organic compound containing a peptide bond, was observed in the interstellar medium, but reaction pathways leading to the formation of this prebiotic molecule remain uncertain. We investigated the possible formation of a peptide-like bond from the reaction between acetic acid (CH3-COOH) and methylamine (CH3-NH2) that were identified in the interstellar medium. From an experimental point of view, a quadrupole/octopole/quadrupole mass spectrometer was used in combination with synchrotron radiation as a tunable source of VUV photons for monitoring the reactivity of selected ions. Acetic acid was photoionized, and the reactivity of CH3COOH+• as well as COOH+ (produced from either acetic acid or formic acid) ions with neutral CH3NH2 was further studied. With no surprise, charge transfer, proton transfer, and concomitant dissociation processes were found to largely dominate the reactivity. However, a C(O)-N bond formation process between the two reactants was also evidenced, with a weak cross section reaction. From a theoretical point of view, results concerning reactivity and barrier heights were obtained using density functional theory, with the LC-ωPBE range-separated functional in combination with the 6-311++G(d,p) Pople basis set and are in perfect agreement with the experimental data.

Vibronic structure of the cyanobutadiyne cation. I. VUV photoionization study of HC5N.

We report the vacuum-ultraviolet threshold-photoelectron spectrum of HC5N recorded over a wide spectral range, from 84 000 to 120 000 cm-1, with a 120 cm-1 spectral resolution, better than what was achieved in previous photoelectron studies, and with mass selectivity. The adiabatic ionization potential of cyanobutadiyne is measured at 85 366 (±40) cm-1. Assignment of the vibrational bands of the four lowest electronic states X+2Π, A+2Π, B+2Σ+, and C+2Π are performed, supported by high level ab initio calculations which are fully detailed in Paper II [B. Gans et al., J. Chem. Phys. 150, 244303 (2019)] and by Franck-Condon simulations. Only vibrational stretching modes are observed in the threshold-photoelectron spectra. The ground state of HC5N+ exhibits a vibrational progression in the ν2 stretching mode involving mainly the elongation of the C≡C triple bonds, whereas the A+ and C+ excited electronic states show a progression in the stretching mode mainly associated with the elongation of the C≡N bond, i.e., ν4 and ν3, respectively. The B+ state appears almost as a vibrationless structure in close vicinity to the A+ state.

Valence shell threshold photoelectron spectroscopy of C3Hx (x = 0-3).

We present the photoelectron spectra of C3Hx (x = 0-3) formed in a microwave discharge flow-tube reactor by consecutive H abstractions from C3H4 (C3Hx + F → C3Hx-1 + HF (x = 1-4)), but also from F + CH4 schemes by secondary reactions. The spectra were obtained combining tunable VUV synchrotron radiation with double imaging electron/ion coincidence techniques, yielding mass-selected threshold photoelectron spectra. The obtained results complement not only existing ones, but for the first time the photoelectron spectra of C3, cyclic and linear C3H (c,l-C3H) as well as of the excited states of C3H3 are reported. In the case of c-C3H, l,t-C3H2 and C3H3, Franck-Condon simulations have been performed in order to assign the vibrational structure. The adiabatic ionization energies of these radicals are reported and compared to ab initio calculated values as well as to theoretical values using known enthalpies of formation.