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Title: Attachment of low-energy electrons (0-10 eV) to polyatomic molecules

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:5481166

Attachment of low-energy electrons (0-10 eV) to six normal perfluoroalkanes (n-C/sub N/F/sub 2N + 2/(N = 1-6)) three isomeric perfluoroalkanes (i-C/sub 4/F/sub 10/, i-C/sub 5/F/sub 12/, neo-C/sub 5/F/sub 12/), one cyclic perfluorocarbon (c-C/sub 5/F/sub 10/), four fluoroethers (CF/sub 3/OCF/sub 3/, CF/sub 3/OCF/sub 2/H, CF/sub 2/HOCF/sub 2/H, and CF/sub 3/OCH/sub 3/), two fluorosulphides (CF/sub 3/SCF/sub 3/ and CF/sub 3/SCH/sub 3/), and the freon CClF/sub 3/ has been studied using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The molecules n-C/sub n/F/sub 2N + 2/(N = 4-6), iC/sub 4/F/sub 10/, i-C/sub 5/F/sub 12/, neo-C/sub 5/F/sub 12/, and c-C/sub 5/F/sub 10/ were found to attach electrons dissociatively and/or nondissociatively. The autodetachment lifetimes, tau/sub a/, of a long-lived metastable parent and fragment anions of all these molecules were measured. Additionally, for those long-lived anions whose cross section was large, the variation of tau/sub a/ with incident electron energy was measured. On the other hand, for the lower normal perfluoroalkanes (N = 1-3), the fluoroethers, the fluorosulphides, and the CClF/sub 3/ molecules studied, only fragment negative ions were observed. The relative cross sections for all observed negative ions have been measured and corrected for the finite width of the electron pulse using an unfolding procedure. Possible fragmentation mechanisms of the dissociative negative ion states (NISs) leading to the production of the observed fragment anions have been suggested and discussed.

Research Organization:
Tennessee Univ., Knoxville (USA)
OSTI ID:
5481166
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English