Photoemission from non-polar aromatic molecules in the gas and liquid phase.

The photoelectron spectra of both liquid and gas phase aromatic molecules are reported. The spectra were obtained using a 34.1 eV source produced by high harmonic generation and analysed with the help of high-level ab initio simulations using the reflection principle combined with path integral molecular dynamics simulations accounting for nuclear quantum effects for the gas phase. We demonstrate the suitability of three trimethylbenzenes (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene) as a solvent for liquid photoelectron spectroscopy of solute species. We also discuss the electrokinetic charging of a non-polar liquid jet.

Dissociative ionization dynamics of dielectric gas C3F7CN.

Fluoronitrile C3F7CN is a promising candidate for the replacement of SF6 dielectric gas in high-voltage insulation. We present a combined experimental and theoretical study on its ionization dynamics probed in the 0-100 eV energy range. We exploited the total ion collection technique to determine the absolute ionization cross section, mass spectrometry to determine the fragment branching ratios and ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics to simulate the ionization process. The latter two approaches showed the dominating presence of the CF3+ cation over the whole electron energy range. The Binary-Encounter-Bethe (BEB) approximation reproduces experimental cross sections very well and reveals that the ionization from a surprisingly large number of orbitals contributes almost equally to the processes. We show that the initially populated cation excited states undergo an ultrafast internal conversion to the ground state where the dissociation into a single decay channel takes place. Implications for the use of C3F7CN as an insulating material are discussed.

UV absorption of Criegee intermediates: quantitative cross sections from high-level ab initio theory.

Criegee intermediates (CIs) are increasingly recognized as important intermediates in atmospheric and combustion chemistry. Modelling in these fields requires reliable characterization of the CI's UV absorption cross sections. Different experimental approaches provided seemingly contradictory results both for the simplest CI as well as for higher analogues. To resolve these discrepancies, we model simultaneously the positions, widths, shapes and absolute intensities of the first absorption bands of CIs using the semiclassical reflection principle approach based on the path integral molecular dynamics. The UV spectra were efficiently processed via the kernel density estimation method. We show that the multireference character complicates the description of the system and the appropriate treatment of the electron correlation is vital. Multi-reference methods with dynamical correlation are problematic due to high sensitivity of the results with respect to the active space. Single-reference based methods become reliable once the triple excitations components are included. Interestingly, the very similar CC2 and ADC(2) methods provide highly conflicting results which are, however, reconciled at the CC3 and ADC(3) levels. To calculate the spectra of higher CIs, we introduce composite EOM-CCSD/T and CC2/3 methods providing excellent absorption cross sections at an acceptable computational cost. We provide the first absolute intensities for individual conformers of the CH3CHOO molecule.

Irregular shapes of water clusters generated in supersonic expansions.

We report cross sections for pickup of guest molecules on neutral argon and water clusters with the mean sizes in the range from N = 50 to 600. The experiments are supported by molecular dynamics simulations and analytical models based on the interaction potentials. The cross sections for argon clusters are consistent with their assumed spherical shape and follow approximately the theoretically justified N(1/3) dependence. On the other hand, the cross sections of water clusters depart from this dependence and are considerably larger starting from N ≥ 300. We interpret this increase of cross section by the occurrence of highly irregular shapes of water clusters produced in the supersonic expansion of water vapor under the conditions of the large cluster generation.

Energy and charge transfer in ionized argon coated water clusters.

We investigate the electron ionization of clusters generated in mixed Ar-water expansions. The electron energy dependent ion yields reveal the neutral cluster composition and structure: water clusters fully covered with the Ar solvation shell are formed under certain expansion conditions. The argon atoms shield the embedded (H2O)n clusters resulting in the ionization threshold above ≈15 eV for all fragments. The argon atoms also mediate more complex reactions in the clusters: e.g., the charge transfer between Ar(+) and water occurs above the threshold; at higher electron energies above ~28 eV, an excitonic transfer process between Ar(+)* and water opens leading to new products Ar(n)H(+) and (H2O)(n)H(+). On the other hand, the excitonic transfer from the neutral Ar* state at lower energies is not observed although this resonant process was demonstrated previously in a photoionization experiment. Doubly charged fragments (H2O)(n)H2(2+) and (H2O)(n)(2+) ions are observed and Intermolecular Coulomb decay (ICD) processes are invoked to explain their thresholds. The Coulomb explosion of the doubly charged cluster formed within the ICD process is prevented by the stabilization effect of the argon solvent.

Radiation damage by extensive local water ionization from two-step electron-transfer-mediated decay of solvated ions.

Biomolecular radiation damage is largely mediated by radicals and low-energy electrons formed by water ionization rather than by direct ionization of biomolecules. It was speculated that such an extensive, localized water ionization can be caused by ultrafast processes following excitation by core-level ionization of hydrated metal ions. In this model, ions relax via a cascade of local Auger-Meitner and, importantly, non-local charge- and energy-transfer processes involving the water environment. Here, we experimentally and theoretically show that, for solvated paradigmatic intermediate-mass Al3+ ions, electronic relaxation involves two sequential solute-solvent electron transfer-mediated decay processes. The electron transfer-mediated decay steps correspond to sequential relaxation from Al5+ to Al3+ accompanied by formation of four ionized water molecules and two low-energy electrons. Such charge multiplication and the generated highly reactive species are expected to initiate cascades of radical reactions.

A new type of plasma knife and its effect on biological issues--a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Currently, several types of plasma discharge devices have become established for performing surgical procedures or superficial sterilization. Our goal is to introduce a brand new type of plasma discharge device with different characteristics, which we have used for two experiments involving thermal damage to biological tissues. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A plasma discharge device with the following characteristics was used for all incisions in plasma group: radio frequency barrier discharger at atmospheric pressure with a working frequency of 13.56 MHz. The working gas was Argon. We used a Cesar 136 generator with typical power 100-150W and with a working gas flow rate between 0.5 and 3 litres per minute. The inner diameter of the end of the nozzle was 0.4mm. A standard Martin electrotome was used for all comparative incisions in the electrotome group. We used two experimental fresh rat cadavers, employing their skin, tails, lungs, livers, kidneys and spleens to make a comparative study between incisions made with a plasma discharge knife and those made with a standard electrotome device. All samples underwent histological verification. DISCUSSION: Our experiment showed slight differences in the impact on incision edges made by the plasma knife and the electrotome. The most interesting effect is on the skin: the plasma knife does not damage hair bulbs, and it results in less thermal damage. The plasma discharge knife is a promising device for cutting various biological tissues. Its effect can be compared with a standard electrotome, while in some tissues it causes less harm then an electrotome. Moreover, we can adjust its therapeutic effect. However, we do not consider the plasma knife a better choice at present, because maneuvering it is unwieldy.

Energy Transfer in Microhydrated Uracil, 5-Fluorouracil, and 5-Bromouracil.

Experiment and theory are combined to study the interaction of low energy electrons with microhydrated uracil and its halogenated analogues 5-fluorouracil and 5-bromouracil. We report electron ionization (EI) and electron attachment (EA) mass spectra for the uracils with different degrees of hydration. Both EI and EA lead to evaporation of water molecules. The number of evaporated molecules serves as a measure of the energy transferred to the solvent. Upon EI, the amount of energy transferred to neighboring water molecules is similar for all three studied species. On the other hand, the energy transferred upon EA rises significantly from uracil to 5-fluorouracil and 5-bromouracil. 5-Bromouracil is the only studied molecule that undergoes dissociative electron attachment after hydration at the studied energy of 1.2 eV. Theoretical modeling of the energetics for the electron attachment process allows for setting the energy transferred to the solvent on the absolute scale. We discuss the importance of this energy for the radiosensitization.

Ultraviolet photochemical reaction of [Fe(III)(C2O4)3](3-) in aqueous solutions studied by femtosecond time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy using an X-ray free electron laser.

Time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy was performed for aqueous ammonium iron(III) oxalate trihydrate solutions using an X-ray free electron laser and a synchronized ultraviolet laser. The spectral and time resolutions of the experiment were 1.3 eV and 200 fs, respectively. A femtosecond 268 nm pulse was employed to excite [Fe(III)(C2O4)3](3-) in solution from the high-spin ground electronic state to ligand-to-metal charge transfer state(s), and the subsequent dynamics were studied by observing the time-evolution of the X-ray absorption spectrum near the Fe K-edge. Upon 268 nm photoexcitation, the Fe K-edge underwent a red-shift by more than 4 eV within 140 fs; however, the magnitude of the redshift subsequently diminished within 3 ps. The Fe K-edge of the photoproduct remained lower in energy than that of [Fe(III)(C2O4)3](3-). The observed red-shift of the Fe K-edge and the spectral feature of the product indicate that Fe(III) is upon excitation immediately photoreduced to Fe(II), followed by ligand dissociation from Fe(II). Based on a comparison of the X-ray absorption spectra with density functional theory calculations, we propose that the dissociation proceeds in two steps, forming first [(CO2 (•))Fe(II)(C2O4)2](3-) and subsequently [Fe(II)(C2O4)2](2-).

Plasma discharge and time-dependence of its effect to bacteria.

Several types of plasma discharge have been proven to have a capacity for sterilization. Our goal is to introduce new nonthermal plasma pencil. We used it to sterilize different microbial populations with differing ages. We used a plasma discharge of the following characteristics: radio frequency barrier discharger at atmospheric pressure with a working frequency of 13.56 MHz, and the working gas used was argon. We performed 110 tests with the following microbial populations: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus species, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. All populations were inoculated on the previous day and also on the day of our experiment. We made our evaluations the following day and also after 5 days, with all our microbial populations. Eradication of microbial populations is dependent on the plasma discharge exposure time in all cases. With regard to freshly inoculated microbes, we were able to sterilize agar with intensive exposure lasting for 10 s of colonies Pseudomonas, Proteus, and Klebsiella. The most resistant microbe seems to be S. aureus, which survives 5 s of coherent exposure in half of the cases. Using the lightest plasma discharge exposure, we achieved a maximum of 10(4)-10(5) CFU/mL (colony-forming unit - CFU). Regarding older microbial populations inoculated the day before the experiment, we can only decrease population growth to 10(5) CFU/mL approximately, but never completely sterilize. The plasma discharge with our characteristics could be used for the sterilization of the aforementioned superficially growing microbes, but does not sufficiently affect deeper layers and thus seems to be a limitation for eradication of the already erupted colonies.