Abstract
The benzene trimer ion has a charge-localized structure, (C6H6)2+⋯C6H 6, where (C6H6)2+ is the dimer core. The trimer ion is photodissociated by excitation of the charge resonance transition of the dimer core. Branching ratios and translational energies of the product ions, (C6H6)2+ and C6H6+, are measured as functions of photon energies (hν=0.99-1.80eV). At the lowest photon energy studied, the dominant dissociation channel is the formation of (C6H6)2+ and C6H6. In this process, only a small fraction (7%-8%) of the available energy is partitioned into the translational energy of the products. The branching ratio of the (C6H6)2+ product decreases smoothly with increasing photon energy from 0.90 at hν=0.99eV to 0.04 at 1.80 eV. The behavior is consistent with the following two-step model for the formation of C6H6+. The photoexcited (C6H6)3+ ion first ejects one C6H6 molecule, yielding the transient dimer ion. If the dimer ion has sufficient internal energy, it further dissociates into C6H6+ and C6H6. Statistical theories for unimolecular reactions are applied to predict the translational energies and the branching ratios. A comparison of the theoretical branching ratios with the experimental data suggests that a part (30%-35%) of the product internal energy is distributed to the intramolecular vibrations of the extra C6H6 molecule. As far as the energy partitioning is concerned, the extra C6H6 molecule is no longer a spectator.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3971-3982 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Chemical Physics |
Volume | 109 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry