N-H and N-C Bond Dissociation Pathways in Ultraviolet Photodissociation of Dimethylamine.

We investigated the interlinked N-H and N-C photochemistry of primary and secondary amines via the state-resolved detection of vibrationally excited CH3 product and H atom product by 200-235 nm dimethylamine photodissociation using resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and velocity map imaging (VMI) techniques. The out-of-plane bending (ν2) vibrationally excited CH3 showed a bimodal translational energy distribution that became unimodal with a near-zero product yield at longer photolysis wavelengths (λphotolysis). In contrast, a unimodal distribution was observed for the C-H stretching (νCH) vibrationally excited CH3 products with an almost constant product yield in the examined λphotolysis region. We ascribed the state-specific energy releases of the CH3 products to two reaction pathways based on calculations of the potential energy surface (PES): the direct N-CH3 dissociation pathway and the indirect N-CH3 dissociation pathway via the N-H bond conical intersection. Meanwhile, the H atom product showed a bimodal energy distribution similar to the ammonia photodissociation model, with an excited-state counterproduct channel that became accessible at a shorter λphotolysis. These results suggest that the N-H and N-C bond dissociations are connected, and these dissociations cause different photochemistry between primary/secondary amines and tertiary amines.

Primary and Secondary Processes in the Ultraviolet Photodissociation of CpCo(CO)2 (Cyclopentadienylcobalt Dicarbonyl).

We investigated the photodissociation dynamics of CpCo(CO)2 (cyclopentadienylcobalt dicarbonyl) in metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) bands. By employing DFT calculations, the absorption band (210-240 nm) was characterized as a charge transfer from the Co center to the Cp (cyclopentadienyl, C5H5) ligand. Ion imaging was utilized to analyze the CO fragments and coordinatively unsaturated complexes (CpCoCO, CpCo, and CoC3H3) across the entire MLCT band. Measuring the production yields of individual unsaturated complexes as a function of photolysis wavelength by considering wavelength dependence indicated the involvement of several photochemical pathways: the first photodissociation and sequential dissociation of CpCo(CO)2, and the second photodissociation of unsaturated intermediates within the pulse duration of the photolysis laser. The recoil velocity shifts of CpCo and CoC3H3 were attributed to the onset of the sequential dissociation of CpCoCO. Evidence for the second photodissociation of CpCoCO was obtained through the matching of linear momenta between the CO(v = 0, 1) and CpCo fragments. The DFT calculations performed to determine the electronic structures and potential energy curves for photoinduced CO loss in CpCo(CO)2 and CpCoCO supported our interpretation of the experimental results. This study presents a practical approach to selectively detecting specific processes among the mixture of products and intermediates when photolyzing transition-metal carbonyls, as their concurrent generation is unavoidable in laser-based experiments.

Nascent Vibrational Energy Distribution of CS(X1Σ+) Generated in the S(1D) + CS2 Reaction.

The internal energy distributions of reaction products are important information in clarifying the mechanism of chemical reactions. There are few reports of the nascent vibrational energy distribution of CS(X1Σ+) generated in the S(1D) + CS2 reaction. As long as S(1D) is produced by photodissociation of CS2, CS(X1Σ+), as a product of the chemical reaction and as a photoproduct of CS2 is indistinguishable. In this study, S(1D) was generated by the photolysis of OCS at 248 nm, where CS2 hardly dissociates, and CS(X1Σ+) was generated only by the S(1D) + CS2 reaction. The vibrational levels v″ = 0-6 of CS(X1Σ+) were detected with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) via the A1Π-X1Σ+ transition. The identical time profiles of the LIF intensities showed that all the vibrational levels were produced by the S(1D) + CS2 reaction. The relative nascent vibrational populations of CS(X1Σ+) determined from the area intensities of the excitation spectra are 1.00 ± 0.11/0.58 ± 0.06/0.31 ± 0.03/0.078 ± 0.009/0.013 ± 0.001/<0.002/<0.002 (the values for v″ = 5 and 6 are the upper limits) for v″ = 0/1/2/3/4/5/6. The distribution agrees well with the statistical (prior) distribution.

Generation of Highly Vibrationally Excited CO in Sequential Photodissociation of Iron Carbonyl Complexes.

Ultraviolet photochemistry of iron pentacarbonyl, Fe(CO)5, was investigated with resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) spectroscopy and ion imaging. The REMPI spectrum of CO photofragments, generated by ultraviolet irradiation of Fe(CO)5, showed the generation in the highly vibrationally excited states with v = 11-15. Analysis of the band intensities observed in the 213-235 nm region indicated that the high-v CO generation was maximized at around 220 nm. Generation yields of the coordinatively unsaturated intermediates, Fe(CO)n=1-4, were measured as a function of the photolysis wavelength using a nonresonant detection scheme. The yield spectrum of FeCO was correlated with that of the high-v CO fragments, suggesting high-v CO generation in the photodissociation of FeCO. The density functional theory calculations of the excited states of FeCO showed an intense photoabsorption to the metal-centered state near 220 nm. The theoretical results were consistent with the interpretation of FeCO + hν → Fe + high-v CO, which was experimentally indicated. The momentum distribution obtained from the velocity distributions of Fe, Fe(CO)4, and CO fragments further supported that Fe is the counter-product of the high-v CO fragment. The present results provided selective observation of the photochemistry of the unsaturated iron carbonyl complexes, which has not been well elucidated in laser-based experiments because of the uncontrollable sequential photodissociation producing mixed Fe(CO)n intermediates.

Primary and Secondary Loss of CO and NO Ligands in the Ultraviolet Photodissociation of the Heteroleptic Co(CO)3NO Complex.

The photodissociation dynamics of the heteroleptic Co(CO)3NO complex were investigated in the metal-to-carbonyl (CO) ligand charge-transfer band to compare the reactivity of the CO and nitrosyl (NO) ligands. The final state distributions of both the CO and NO fragments were measured using resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) spectroscopy and velocity-map ion-imaging. The primary CO photofragment was differentiated from the secondary fragments of the subsequent unimolecular decomposition of coordinatively unsaturated intermediates by comparing the momentum distributions. The internal energy of the Co(CO)2NO intermediate was sufficiently high (≥348 kJ/mol) to be generated in the electronic excited state, indicating the occurrence of the primary CO elimination on an excited state. The NO fragments exhibited two velocity components. The analysis of the final state distributions suggested that the higher- and lower-kinetic-energy components originated from the direct primary elimination and sequential elimination, respectively. The direct photoelimination through a transiently bent ligand conformation was illustrated on the basis of a two-dimensional REMPI approach and time-dependent density functional theory calculations. The present results of both ligands demonstrate the correlation between elimination mechanisms and possible ligand conformations in the electronic excited state.

Spectroscopic signatures of HHe2+ and HHe3.

Using two different action spectroscopic techniques, a high-resolution quantum cascade laser operating around 1300 cm-1 and a cryogenic ion trap machine, the proton shuttle motion of the cations HHe2+ and HHe3+ has been probed at a nominal temperature of 4 K. For HHe3+, the loosely bound character of this complex allowed predissociation spectroscopy to be used, and the observed broad features point to a lifetime of a few ps in the vibrationally excited state. For He-H+-He, a fundamental linear molecule consisting of only three nuclei and four electrons, the method of laser-induced inhibition of complex growth (LIICG) enabled the measurement of three accurate rovibrational transitions, pinning down its molecular parameters for the first time.

Electronic State and Photophysics of 2-Ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate as UV-B Sunscreen under Jet-Cooled Condition.

The title compound, 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate (2EH4MC), is known as a typical ingredient of sunscreen cosmetics that effectively converts the absorbed UV-B light to thermal energy. This energy conversion process includes the nonradiative decay (NRD): trans-cis isomerization and finally going back to the original structure with a release of thermal energy. In this study, we performed UV spectroscopy for jet-cooled 2EH4MC to investigate the electronic/geometrical structures as well as the NRD mechanism. Laser-induced-fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy gave the well-resolved vibronic structure of the S1-S0 transition; UV-UV hole-burning (HB) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed the presence of syn and anti isomers, where the methoxy (-OCH3) groups orient in opposite directions to each other. Picosecond UV-UV pump-probe spectroscopy revealed the NRD process from the excited singlet (S1 (1ππ*)) state occurs at a rate constant of ∼1010-1011 s-1, attributed to internal conversion (IC) to the 1nπ* state. Nanosecond UV-deep UV (DUV) pump-probe spectroscopy identified a transient triplet (T1 (3ππ*)) state, whose energy (from S0) and lifetime are 18 400 cm-1 and 20 ns, respectively. These results demonstrate that the photoisomerization of 2EH4MC includes multistep internal conversions and intersystem crossings, described as "S1 (trans, 1ππ*) → 1nπ* → T1 (3ππ*) → S0 (cis)".

The direct observation of the doorway 1nπ* state of methylcinnamate and hydrogen-bonding effects on the photochemistry of cinnamate-based sunscreens.

The electronic states and photochemistry including nonradiative decay (NRD) and trans(E) → cis(Z) isomerization of methylcinnamate (MC) and its hydrogen-bonded complex with methanol have been investigated under jet-cooled conditions. S1(1nπ*) and S2(1ππ*) are directly observed in MC. This is the first direct observation of S1(1nπ*) in cinnamate derivatives. Surprisingly, the order of the energies between the nπ* and ππ* states is opposite to substituted cinnamates. TD-DFT and SAC-CI calculations support the observed result and show that the substitution to the benzene ring largely lowers the 1ππ* energy while the effect on 1nπ* is rather small. The S2(ππ*) state lifetime of MC is determined to be equal to or shorter than 10 ps, and the production of the transient T1 state is observed. The T1(ππ*) state is calculated to have a structure in which propenyl C[double bond, length as m-dash]C is twisted by 90°, suggesting the trans → cis isomerization proceeds via T1. The production of the cis isomer is confirmed by low-temperature matrix-isolated FTIR spectroscopy. The effect of H-bonding is examined for the MC-methanol complex. The S2 lifetime of MC-methanol is determined to be 180 ps, indicating that the H-bonding to the C[double bond, length as m-dash]O group largely prohibits the 1ππ* → 1nπ* internal conversion. This lifetime elongation in the methanol complex also describes well a higher fluorescence quantum yield of MC in methanol solution than in cyclohexane, while such a solvent dependence is not observed in para-substituted MC. Determination of the photochemical reaction pathways of MC and MC-methanol will help us to design photofunctional cinnamate derivatives.

Double resonance rotational spectroscopy of He-HCO.

The ground state of He-HCO+ is investigated using a recently developed double resonance technique, consisting of a rotational transition followed by a vibrational transition into a dissociative state. In order to derive precise predictions for the rotational states, the high resolution infrared predissociation spectroscopy of the v1 C-H stretching mode is revisited. Eleven pure rotational transitions are measured via the double resonance method. A least squares fit of these transitions to a standard linear rotor Hamiltonian reveals that the semirigid rotor model cannot fully describe the loosely bound He-HCO+ complex. The novel double resonance technique is compared with other action spectroscopic schemes, and some potential future applications are presented.

Double Resonance Rotational Spectroscopy of Weakly Bound Ionic Complexes: The Case of Floppy CH_{3}

A novel rotational spectroscopy method applicable to ions stored in cold traps is presented. In a double resonance scheme, rotational excitation is followed by vibrational excitation into a dissociative resonance. Its general applicability is demonstrated for the CH_{3}^{+}-He complex, which undergoes predissociation through its C-H stretching modes ν_{1} and ν_{3}. High resolution rotational transitions are recorded for this symmetric top, and small unexpected splittings are resolved for K=1. Advantages and potential future applications of this new approach are discussed.

Different photoisomerization routes found in the structural isomers of hydroxy methylcinnamate.

An experimental and theoretical study has been carried out to elucidate the nonradiative decay (NRD) and trans(E) → cis(Z) isomerization from the S1 (1ππ*) state of structural isomers of hydroxy methylcinnamate (HMC); ortho-, meta- and para-HMC (o-, m- and p-HMC). A low temperature matrix-isolation Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic study revealed that all the HMCs are cis-isomerized upon UV irradiation. A variety of laser spectroscopic methods have been utilized for jet-cooled gas phase molecules to investigate the vibronic structure and lifetimes of the S1 state, and to detect the transient state appearing in the NRD process. In p-HMC, the zero-point level of the S1 state decays as quickly as 9 ps. A transient electronic state reported by Tan et al. (Faraday Discuss. 2013, 163, 321-340) was reinvestigated by nanosecond UV-tunable deep UV pump-probe spectroscopy and was assigned to the T1 state. For m- and o-HMC, the lifetime at the zero-point energy level of S1 is 10 ns and 6 ns, respectively, but it becomes substantially shorter at an excess energy higher than 1000 cm-1 and 600 cm-1, respectively, indicating the onset of NRD. Different from p-HMC, no transient state (T1) was observed in m- nor o-HMC. These experimental results are interpreted with the aid of TDDFT calculations by considering the excited-state reaction pathways and the radiative/nonradiative rate constants. It is concluded that in p-HMC, the trans → cis isomerization proceeds via a [trans-S1 → 1nπ* → T1 → cis-S0] scheme. On the other hand, in o- and m-HMC, the isomerization proceeds via a [trans-S1 → twisting along the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C double bond by 90° on S1 → cis-S0] scheme. The calculated barrier height along the twisting coordinate agrees well with the observed onset of the NRD channel for both o- and m-HMC.

High-resolution infrared spectroscopy of O2H+ in a cryogenic ion trap.

The protonated oxygen molecule, O2H+, and its helium complex, He-O2H+, have been investigated by vibrational action spectroscopy in a cryogenic 22-pole ion trap. For the He-O2H+ complex, the frequencies of three vibrational bands have been determined by predissociation spectroscopy. The elusive O2H+ has been characterized for the first time by high-resolution rovibrational spectroscopy via its ν1 OH-stretching band. Thirty-eight rovibrational fine structure transitions with partly resolved hyperfine satellites were measured (56 resolved lines in total). Spectroscopic parameters were determined by fitting the observed lines with an effective Hamiltonian for an asymmetric rotor in a triplet electronic ground state, X̃3A'', yielding a band origin at 3016.73 cm-1. Based on these spectroscopic parameters, the rotational spectrum is predicted, but not yet detected.

Direct Detection of S(3P) and S(1D) Generated in the O(1D) + OCS Reaction: Mechanism of the Formation of S2(X3Σg- and a1Δg).

Highly vibrationally excited disulfur S2 in the X3Σg- and a1Δg states has been detected in the gaseous mixture of O3 and OCS irradiated with light at 266 nm. Generation of CO2 in the reaction system has been reported; however, no direct detection of sulfur atoms (S(3P) and S(1D)) has been made. In the present study, we have employed the two-photon laser-induced fluorescence (2P-LIF) technique to detect S(3P) and S(1D) directly and recorded the time profiles of the atoms at varying pressures of OCS. Kinetic analyses of the profiles show that (i) S(1D) is generated in the O(1D) + OCS reaction and consumed by the S(1D) + OCS reaction, and (ii) S(3P) is mainly generated in the O(1D) + OCS reaction instead of quenching of S(1D) by collisions with OCS and ambient gases. The vibrational levels v = 19 and 10 of the respective electronic states X3Σg- and a1Δg of S2 were detected in the O3/OCS/266 nm system. The two vibrational levels cannot be generated by the available energy of the S(3P) + OCS reaction, giving evidence that S2 in the X3Σg- and a1Δg states are generated by the S(1D) + OCS reaction.

Unravelling the Electronic State of NO2 Product in Ultrafast Photodissociation of Nitromethane.

The primary photochemical reaction of nitromethane (NM) after ππ* excitation is known to be C-N bond cleavage (CH3NO2 + hν → CH3 + NO2). On the other hand, NO2 can be formed in both the ground and excited states, and identification of the electronic state of the NO2 product has been a central subject in the experimental and theoretical studies. Here we present time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy using vacuum-ultraviolet probe pulses to observe all transient electronic states of NM and the reaction products. The result indicates that ultrafast internal conversion occurs down to S1 and S0 within 24 fs, and the dissociation proceeds on the S1 surface (τdiss ≲ 50 fs), leading to comparable product yields of NO2(A) and NO2(X). The overall dissociation quantum yield within our observation time window (<2 ps) is estimated to be 0.29.

Detection of the Excited-State NH2 (Ã 2A1) in the Ultraviolet Photodissociation of Methylamine.

Ion-imaging and dispersed fluorescence spectroscopy are employed for the photodissociation dynamics study of methylamine in the photolysis wavelength range 205-213 nm. The methyl radical product is found to populate a wide range of ro-vibrational states, among which the CH3 fragment generated in the v = 0 state shows a bimodal kinetic energy distribution. The internal energy analysis of the NH2 counterproduct indicates that a lower kinetic energy component, which was observed only with the CH3(v=0) fragment, energetically matches the electronically excited Ã2A1 state. The dispersed fluorescence spectrum, whose band structure is assigned to the Ã2A1 → X̃2B1 transition, provides evidence of the CH3(v=0) + NH2(Ã2A1) pathway. The branching mechanism of the product pathway is discussed in terms of nuclear dynamics in the long-range region, where the conical intersection between the excited- and ground-state potential energy surfaces can play a significant role.

Multistep Intersystem Crossing Pathways in Cinnamate-Based UV-B Sunscreens.

The nonradiative decay pathways of jet-cooled para-methoxy methylcinnamate (p-MMC) and para-methoxy ethylcinnamate (p-MEC) have been investigated by picosecond pump-probe and nanosecond UV-Deep UV pump-probe spectroscopy. The possible relaxation pathways were calculated by the (time-dependent) density functional theory. We found that p-MMC and p-MEC at low excess energy undergo multistep intersystem crossing (ISC) from the bright S1 (1ππ*) state to the lowest triplet T1 (3ππ*) state via two competing pathways through the T2 state in the time scale of 100 ps: (a) stepwise ISC followed after the internal conversion (IC) from S1 to the dark 1nπ* state; (b) direct ISC from the S1 to T2 states. These picosecond multistep ISCs result in the torsion of C═C double bond by ∼95° in the T1 state, whose measured adiabatic energy and lifetime are 16577 cm-1 and ∼20 ns, respectively, for p-MMC. These results suggest that the ISC processes play an indispensable role in the photoprotecting sunscreens in natural plants.

Multiple product pathways in photodissociation of nitromethane at 213 nm.

In this paper, we present a photodissociation dynamics study of nitromethane at 213 nm in the π → π(*) transition. Resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization spectroscopy and ion-imaging were applied to measure the internal state distributions and state-resolved scattering distributions of the CH3, NO(X (2)Π, A (2)Σ(+)), and O((3)PJ) photofragments. The rotationally state-resolved scattering distribution of the CH3 fragment showed two velocity components, of which the slower one decreased the relative intensity as the rotational and vibrational excitations. The translational energy distribution of the faster CH3 fragment indicated the production of the NO2 counter-product in the electronic excited state, wherein 1 (2)B2 was the most probable. The NO(v = 0) fragment exhibited a bimodal translational energy distribution, whereas the NO(v = 1 and 2) fragment exhibited a single translational energy component with a relatively larger internal energy. The translational energy of a portion of the O((3)PJ) photofragment was found to be higher than the one-photon dissociation threshold, indicating the two-photon process involved. The NO(A (2)Σ(+)) fragment, which was detected by ionization spectroscopy via the Rydberg ← A (2)Σ(+) transition, also required two-photon energy. These experimental data corroborate the existence of competing photodissociation product pathways, CH3 + NO2,CH3 + NO + O,CH3O + NO, and CH3NO + O, following the π → π(*) transition. The origins of the observed photofragments are discussed in this report along with recent theoretical studies and previous dynamics experiments performed at 193 nm.

Photodissociation dynamics of C3H5I in the near-ultraviolet region.

The ultraviolet photodissociation dynamics of allyl iodide (C3H5I) have been studied by ion-imaging at 266 nm and 213 nm. These photolysis wavelengths are located in the two lowest absorption bands in the near-ultraviolet region. The atomic iodine products were detected by [2+1] resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization spectroscopy. The spectra showed that the branching fraction for the spin-orbit excited ((2)P(1/2)) state was larger than that for the ground ((2)P(3/2)) state at both photolysis wavelengths. The state-resolved scattering images of iodine showed two maxima in the velocity distributions in the (2)P(3/2) state and a single peak in the (2)P(1/2) state. The spin-orbit specificity indicates that the C-I bond cleavage at both absorption bands is governed by the dissociative n(I)σ*(C-I) potential energy surfaces. The nascent internal energy distribution of the allyl radical (C3H5) counter product, which was obtained by the analysis of the state-resolved scattering distributions, showed a marked difference between the photolysis at 266 nm and 213 nm. The generation of the colder C3H5 with the higher translational energy at 266 nm implied the direct photoexcitation to the n(I)σ*(C-I) repulsive surfaces, whereas the internally hot C3H5 at 213 nm was ascribed to the local π(CC)π*(CC) photoinitiation in the allyl framework followed by predissociation to the n(I)σ*(C-I) states.

Kinetics and dynamics on the formation of S2(X3Σg­,a1Δg) in the S(1D) + OCS reaction.

The reaction of electronically excited sulfur S((1)D) with OCS has exothermic channels generating S(2) in two electronic states X(3)Σ(g)­ and a(1)Δ(g). The a(1)Δ(g) state is correlated directly to the reactants via the spin-allowed singlet surface; the X(3)Σ(g)­ state, on the other hand, is a product of the spin-forbidden channel. There has been no report on kinetic evidence for the simultaneous generation of the two electronic states, although the two electronic states have been detected so far. The previous studies showed that little energy was released into rotation or vibration of the S(2) products despite large heats of reactions (228 and 175 kJ mol(-1) for generation of X(3)Σ(g)­ and a(1)Δ(g), respectively). In the present study, S((1)D) was generated by the photolysis of OCS at 248 nm in a buffer He at 298 K, and the resulting two electronic states of S(2) (X(3)Σ(g)­ and a(1)Δ(g)) were detected with dispersed laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) via the B(3)Σ(u)(-)­X(3)Σ(g)­ and f(1)Δ(u)-a(1)Δ(g) transitions, respectively. Not only excitation but also dispersed fluorescence spectra made it possible to find a single rotational line of the vibrational level of interest. The time-resolved LIF intensities of the initial growth of the X(3)Σ(g)­ and a(1)Δ(g) states showed identical OCS pressure dependences, giving the overall rate coefficient of the S(1D) + OCS reaction to be [3.2 ± 0.2(2σ)] × 10(-10) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). The simultaneous generation of the two electronic states indicates that the intersystem crossing plays a role in opening the spin-forbidden channel. As for the reaction dynamics, vibrational levels up to v = 19 of X(3)Σ(g)­ and 11 of a(1)Δ(g) have been detected, which is distinctly different from the previous studies. The reaction mechanism has been discussed on the basis of the potential energies reported so far.

Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy and determination of the three dimensional potential energy surface for Ar-CS.

Pure rotational transitions of the Ar-CS van der Waals complex have been observed by Fourier Transform Microwave (FTMW) and FTMW-millimeter wave double resonance spectroscopy. Rotational transitions of v(s) = 0, 1, and 2 were able to be observed for normal CS, together with those of C(34)S in v(s) = 0, where vs stands for the quantum number of the CS stretching vibration. The observed transition frequencies were analyzed by a free rotor model Hamiltonian, where rovibrational energies were calculated as dynamical motions of the three nuclei on a three-dimensional potential energy surface, expressed by analytical functions with 57 parameters. Initial values for the potential parameters were obtained by high-level ab initio calculations. Fifteen parameters were adjusted among the 57 parameters to reproduce all the observed transition frequencies with the standard deviation of the fit to be 0.028 MHz.