Molecular high-Rydberg fragments from CH/sub 4/ and C/sub 2/H/sub 6/ by electron impact dissociation

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1983 · J. Chem. Phys.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5758014

Freund, R S; Tarr, S M; Schiavone, J A

In this work we report the observation of polyatomic high-Rydberg molecules which survive for several hundred microseconds. Methane and ethane were excited by electron impact to produce high-Rydberg states of their fragments: CH/sub 3/ from methane and CH/sub 3/, C/sub 2/H/sub 4/, and C/sub 2/H/sub 5/ from ethane. These identifications are proven by measurements of threshold energies and by comparisons to fragmentation patterns for dissociative ionization. Sharp threshold peaks in the excitation functions show the occurrence of direct high-l excitation. The absence of parent CH/sub 4/ or C/sub 2/H/sub 6/ in high-Rydberg states remains unexplained, but may be related to a strong interaction between the Rydberg electron and the core.

• Research Organization: Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974
• OSTI ID: 5758014
• Journal Information: J. Chem. Phys.; (United States), Vol. 79:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ELECTRON-MOLECULE COLLISIONS
DISSOCIATION
EXCITATION
ETHANE
METHANE
EXCITED STATES
RYDBERG CORRECTION
ALKANES
COLLISIONS
CORRECTIONS
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
HYDROCARBONS
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
640304* - Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics- Collision Phenomena