Direct observation of nuclear rearrangement in molecules

Journal Article · Mon Jun 07 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Physical Review Letters; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.70.3549· OSTI ID:6521228

Vager, Z; Graber, T; Kanter, E P; Zajfman, D ^[1]

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1. Physics Divison, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States) Department of Nuclear Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100 (Israel) Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60680 (United States)

The first direct experimental observation of an intramolecular reaction path going through a transition state is reported. The results of a Coulomb explosion imaging experiment for cold CH[sub 4][sup +] molecular ions show the intermediate conformations between permutationally equivalent structures of this molecule. Comparison with a theoretical prediction of the corresponding reaction path is given and the agreement is satisfactory.

• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6521228
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; (United States) Vol. 70:23; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

664400* -- Experimentally Derived Information on Atomic & Molecular Properties-- (1992-)
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ALKANES
BOND LENGTHS
BORN-OPPENHEIMER APPROXIMATION
CATIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONFORMATIONAL CHANGES
DATA
DIMENSIONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HYDROCARBONS
IMAGES
INFORMATION
IONS
ISOMERIZATION
LENGTH
METHANE
MOLECULAR IONS
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS