Nonadiabatic interactions in the Cl + H2 reaction probed by ClH2- and ClD2- photoelectron imaging

The degree of electronic and nuclear coupling in the Cl + H2 reaction has become a vexing problem in chemical dynamics. We report slow electron velocity-map imaging (SEVI) spectra of ClH2- and ClD2-. These spectra probe the reactant valley of the neutral reaction potential energy surface, where nonadiabatic transitions responsible for reactivity of the Cl excited spin-orbit state with H2 would occur. The SEVI spectra reveal progressions in low-frequency Cl.H2 bending and stretching modes, and are compared to simulations with and without nonadiabatic couplings between the Cl spin-orbit states. Although nonadiabatic effects are small, their inclusion improves agreement with experiment. This comparison validates the theoretical treatment, especially of the nonadiabatic effects, in this critical region of the Cl + H2 reaction, and suggests strongly that these effects are minor.     

Breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation in the F+ o-D2 -> DF + D reaction

The reaction of F with H2 and its isotopomers is the paradigm for an exothermic triatomic abstraction reaction. In a crossed-beam scattering experiment, we determined relative integral and differential cross sections for reaction of the ground F(2P(3/2)) and excited F*(2P(1/2)) spin-orbit states with D2 for collision energies of 0.25 to 1.2 kilocalorie/mole. At the lowest collision energy, F* is approximately 1.6 times more reactive than F, although reaction of F* is forbidden within the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. As the collision energy increases, the BO-allowed reaction rapidly dominates. We found excellent agreement between multistate, quantum reactive scattering calculations and both the measured energy dependence of the F*/F reactivity ratio and the differential cross sections. This agreement confirms the fundamental understanding of the factors controlling electronic nonadiabaticity in abstraction reactions.     

Observation of Feshbach resonances in the F + H2 --> HF + H reaction

Reaction resonances, or transiently stabilized transition-state structures, have proven highly challenging to capture experimentally. Here, we used the highly sensitive H atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight method to conduct a crossed molecular beam scattering study of the F + H2 --> HF + H reaction with full quantum-state resolution. Pronounced forward-scattered HF products in the v' = 2 vibrational state were clearly observed at a collision energy of 0.52 kcal/mol; this was attributed to both the ground and the first excited Feshbach resonances trapped in the peculiar HF(v' = 3)-H' vibrationally adiabatic potential, with substantial enhancement by constructive interference between the two resonances.     

Mode-specific energy disposal in the four-atom reaction OH + D2 --> HOD + D

Experiments, employing crossed molecular beams, with vibrational state resolution have been performed on the simplest four-atom reaction, OH + D2 --> HOD + D. In good agreement with the most recent quantum scattering predictions, mode-specific reaction dynamics is observed, with vibration in the newly formed oxygen-deuterium bond preferentially excited to v = 2. This demonstrates that quantum theoretical calculations, which in the past decade have achieved remarkable accuracy for three-atom reactions involving three dimensions, have progressed to the point where it is now possible to accurately predict energy disposal in four-atom reactions involving six dimensions.     

Chemistry of excited electronic States

Atomic and molecular orbitals are among the tools used by chemists to view the world. The validity of this view for reaction systems can be experimentally probed by examination of the chemistry of electronically excited states and, in particular, by comparison of the reactivities of states having different orbital occupations (electron configurations). Reactivity changes associated with electron configuration are instructive with regard to chemists' views of molecular orbital interactions, but electronic excitation can also influence the course of a chemical reaction by increasing the energy content of the system or by affecting access to different potential energy surfaces by changing spin, orbital symmetry, or spin-orbit level. These various effects are illustrated by studies of gasphase transition metal-mediated H-H and C-H bond-activation processes.     

The extent of non-Born-Oppenheimer coupling in the reaction of Cl(2P) with para-H2

Elementary triatomic reactions offer a compelling test of our understanding of the extent of electron-nuclear coupling in chemical reactions, which is neglected in the widely applied Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation. The BO approximation predicts that in reactions between chlorine (Cl) atoms and molecular hydrogen, the excited spin-orbit state (Cl*) should not participate to a notable extent. We report molecular beam experiments, based on hydrogen-atom Rydberg tagging detection, that reveal only a minor role of Cl*. These results are in excellent agreement with fully quantum-reactive scattering calculations based on two sets of ab initio potential energy surfaces. This study resolves a previous disagreement between theory and experiment and confirms our ability to simulate accurately chemical reactions on multiple potential energy surfaces.     

A Quantum State-Resolved Insertion Reaction: O((1)D) + H(2)(J = 0) --> OH((2) product operator product operator product operator, v, N) + H((2)S)

The O((1)D) + H(2) --> OH + H reaction, which proceeds mainly as an insertion reaction at a collisional energy of 1.3 kilocalories per mole, has been investigated with the high-resolution H atom Rydberg "tagging" time-of-flight technique and the quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) method. Quantum state-resolved differential cross sections were measured for this prototype reaction. Different rotationally-vibrationally excited OH products have markedly different angular distributions, whereas the total reaction products are roughly forward and backward symmetric. Theoretical results obtained from QCT calculations indicate that this reaction is dominated by the insertion mechanism, with a small contribution from the collinear abstraction mechanism through quantum tunneling.     

An Accurate Quantum Monte Carlo Calculation of the Barrier Height for the Reaction H + H2 rarr H2 + H

An improved quantum Monte Carlo method has been used to calculate the classical barrier height for the hydrogen exchange reaction H + H(2) --> H(2) + H with accuracies greater than previously attained. The method is exact in that, except for the easily estimated Monte Carlo statistical or sampling error, it requires no mathematical approximations or physical approximations beyond those of the Schr?dinger equation. The minimum in the barrier, occurring for the collinear nuclear configuration with the protons separated by 1.757 bohrs, was found to be 9.61 +/- 0.01 kilocalories per mole above H + H(2).     

Signatures of H2CO photodissociation from two electronic states

Even in small molecules, the influence of electronic state on rotational and vibrational product energies is not well understood. Here, we use experiments and theory to address this issue in photodissociation of formaldehyde, H2CO, to the radical products H + HCO. These products result from dissociation from the singlet ground electronic state or the first excited triplet state (T1) of H2CO. Fluorescence spectra reveal a sudden decrease in the HCO rotational energy with increasing photolysis energy accompanied by substantial HCO vibrational excitation. Calculations of the rotational distribution using an ab initio potential energy surface for the T1 state are in very good agreement with experiment and strongly support dominance of the T1 state in the dynamics at the higher photolysis energies.     

Picosecond kinetics of events leading to reaction center bacteriochlorophyll oxidation

A transient absorption spectrum has been measured in Rhodopseudomonas spheroides R26 reaction centers. Its salient features indicate that both the bacteriopheophytin and bacteriochlorophyll chromophores play a role in the excited state. Decay of this state yields a rise time for oxidation of the reaction center complex of about 150 picoseconds.     

First-principles theory for the H + CH4 --> H2 + CH3 reaction

A full-dimensional quantum dynamics simulation of a hydrogen atom reacting with methane on an accurate ab initio potential energy surface is reported. Based on first-principles theory, thermal rate constants are predicted with an accuracy comparable to (or even exceeding) experimental precision. The theoretical prediction is within the range of the significantly varied experimental rate constants reported by different groups. This level of accuracy has previously been achieved only for smaller, three-or four-atom reactive systems. Comparison with classical transition state theory confirms the importance of quantum mechanical tunneling for the rate constant below 400 kelvin.     

Probing the threshold to H atom transfer along a hydrogen-bonded ammonia wire

We characterized the entrance channel, reaction threshold, and mechanism of an excited-state H atom transfer reaction along a unidirectionally hydrogen-bonded "wire" -O-H...NH3...NH3...NH3...N. Excitation of supersonically cooled 7-hydroxyquinoline.(NH3)3 to its vibrationless S1 state produces no reaction, whereas excitation of ammonia-wire vibrations induces H atom transfer with a reaction threshold approximately 200 wave numbers. Further translocation steps along the wire produce the S1 state 7-ketoquinoline.(NH3)3 tautomer. Ab initio calculations show that proton and electron movement along the wire are closely coupled. The rate-controlling S1 state barriers arise from crossings of a pipi* with a Rydberg-type pisigma* state.     

Observation of individual chemical reactions in solution

Discrete chemical reaction events occurring in solution have been observed by single photon detection of a bimolecular, chemiluminescent reaction. The reactants were generated from 9,10-diphenylanthracene in acetonitrile with potential pulses applied to an ultramicroelectrode. Electrogenerated radical ions of opposite sign react to yield the excited singlet state of the parent compound. The chemical reactions were restricted to a 20-femtoliter volume adjacent to the electrode by the use of rapid potential pulses. Individual chemical reaction events were stochastic and followed the Poisson distribution, and the interarrival time between successive reaction events was exponentially distributed.     

Vibrational modes and the dynamic solvent effect in electron and proton transfer

This article primarily reviews recent work on ultrafast experiments on excited state intramolecular electron and proton transfer, with an emphasis on experiments on chemical systems that have been analyzed theoretically. In particular, those systems that have been quantitatively characterized by static spectroscopy, which provides detailed information about the reaction potential energy surface and about other parameters that are necessary to make a direct comparison to theoretical predictions, are described.     

Images of Excited H3+ at the Foot of the lo Flux Tube in Jupiter's Atmosphere

The electrodynamic interaction between lo and the Jovian magnetosphere drives currents to and from the planet's ionosphere, where H(3)(+) emission is excited. Direct images of this phenomenon were obtained with the ProtoCAM infrared camera at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 3-m Infrared Telescope Facility. The emissions are localized to the instantaneous foot of the lo flux tube, approximately 8 degrees equatorward of the more intense auroral H(3)(+) emission associated with higher magnetic latitudes. The foot of the lo flux tube leads that of (undisturbed) model magnetic field lines passing through lo by 15 degrees to 20 degrees in longitude and is less visible in the northern hemisphere at longitudes where the surface magnetic field strength is greatest. These data favor the unipolar inductor model of the lo interaction and provide insight into the source location and generation of Jovian decameter radio emission.     

Observation of transition-state vibrational thresholds in the rate of dissociation of ketene

Rate constants for the dissociation of highly vibrationally excited ketene (CH(2)CO) have been measured at the threshold for the production of CH(2)((3)B(1)) and CO((1)Sigma(+)). The rate constant increases in a stepwise manner with increasing energy, consistent with the long-standing premise that the rate of a unimolecular reaction is controlled by flux through quantized transition-state thresholds. The data give the energies of the torsional and C-C-O bending vibrations of the transition state.     

Interference of quantized transition-state pathways in the H + D2 -> D + HD chemical reaction

The collision-energy dependence of the state-resolved differential cross section at a specific backward-scattering angle for the reaction H + D2 --> D + HD is measured with the D-atom Rydberg "tagging" time-of-flight technique. The reaction was modeled theoretically with converged quantum scattering calculations that provided physical interpretation of the observations. Oscillations in the differential cross sections in the backward-scattering direction are clearly observed and are attributed to the transition-state structures that originate from the interferences of different quantized transition-state pathways.     

Steric control of the reaction of CH stretch-excited CHD3 with chlorine atom

Exciting the CH-stretching mode of CHD(3) (where D is deuterium) is known to promote the C-H bond's reactivity toward chlorine (Cl) atom. Conventional wisdom ascribes the vibrational-rate enhancement to a widening of the cone of acceptance (i.e., the collective Cl approach trajectories that lead to reaction). A previous study of this reaction indicated an intriguing alignment effect by infrared laser-excited reagents, which on intuitive grounds is not fully compatible with the above interpretation. We report here an in-depth experimental study of reagent alignment effects in this reaction. Pronounced impacts are evident not only in total reactivity but also in product state and angular distributions. By contrasting the data with previously reported stereodynamics in reactions of unpolarized, excited CHD(3) with fluorine (F) and O((3)P), we elucidate the decisive role of long-range anisotropic interactions in steric control of this chemical reaction.     

Topological phase transition and texture inversion in a tunable topological insulator

The recently discovered three-dimensional or bulk topological insulators are expected to exhibit exotic quantum phenomena. It is believed that a trivial insulator can be twisted into a topological state by modulating the spin-orbit interaction or the crystal lattice, driving the system through a topological quantum phase transition. By directly measuring the topological quantum numbers and invariants, we report the observation of a phase transition in a tunable spin-orbit system, BiTl(S(1-δ)Se(δ))(2), in which the topological state formation is visualized. In the topological state, vortex-like polarization states are observed to exhibit three-dimensional vectorial textures, which collectively feature a chirality transition as the spin momentum-locked electrons on the surface go through the zero carrier density point. Such phase transition and texture inversion can be the physical basis for observing fractional charge (±e/2) and other fractional topological phenomena.     

The transition state of the f + h2 reaction

The transition state region of the F + H(2) reaction has been studied by photoelectron spectroscopy of FH(2)(-). New para and normal FH(2)(-)photoelectron spectra have been measured in refined experiments and are compared here with exact three-dimensional quantum reactive scattering simulations that use an accurate new ab initio potential energy surface for F + H(2). The detailed agreement that is obtained between this fully ab initio theory and experiment is unprecedented for the F + H(2) reaction and suggests that the transition state region of the F + H(2) potential energy surface has finally been understood quantitatively.