Elementary photoprocesses in benzene clusters

Journal Article · Thu Mar 26 04:00:00 EST 1987 · J. Phys. Chem.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/j100291a021· OSTI ID:6537946

Schriver, K E; Camarena, A M; Hahn, M Y; Paguia, A J; Whetten, R L

This article reports the use of the resonant two-photon ionization technique to selectively excite a molecular ion within a cluster and observe the dynamical outcome. The authors have excited clusters containing up to 14 benzene molecules to energies of 10.00 or 12.84 eV and measured the probability that an initially formed C/sub 6/H/sub 6//sup +/ attacks a neighboring benzene unit of the cluster according to the vapor-phase reaction C/sub 6/H/sub 6//sup +/ + C/sub 6/H/sub 6/..-->.. C/sub 7/H/sub 7//sup +/ + C/sub 5/H/sub 5/, ..delta..H = 0.63 eV. The C/sub 5/H/sub 5/ radical is expelled from the cluster. At either energy excitation proceeds through an X/sup 12/ vibrational level of benzene (XX = 6 or 8) but in the latter case the benzene cation is also produced electronically excited. Accordingly, at low-energy excitation the above pathway is entirely absent, while the 12.84-eV excitation leads to reaction with a probability increasing with cluster size, as predicted by solvation models. This result makes it appear quite likely that > 12-eV excitation of condensed benzene will lead to transient tropylium ion centers for conduction electrons, accompanies by variable trapping of C/sub 5/H/sub 6/.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Los Angeles
• OSTI ID: 6537946
• Journal Information: J. Phys. Chem.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Phys. Chem.; (United States) Vol. 91:7; ISSN JPCHA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400500* -- Photochemistry
AROMATICS
BENZENE
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DATA
ENERGY LEVELS
EXCIMER LASERS
EXCITED STATES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAS LASERS
HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
LASERS
MULTI-PHOTON PROCESSES
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOCHEMISTRY