Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

State-to-state rotationally inelastic scattering of ND[sub 3] on a graphite (0001) surface

Journal Article · · Journal of Chemical Physics; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.463313· OSTI ID:6850817
; ;  [1]
  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024 (United States)

State-selected molecular beams of deuterated ammonia, [vert bar][ital JKM][epsilon][gt][vert bar]inversion[gt]=[vert bar]1111[gt][vert bar][minus][gt] or [vert bar]222[minus]1[gt][vert bar][minus][gt] and [vert bar]3331[gt][vert bar][minus][gt] states in the proportion 2.3:1, are produced via hexapole electrostatic focusing and then scattered at near-normal incidence on a graphite (0001) surface at [ital T][sub [ital s]]=130 K. The post-collisional rotational distribution of directly scattered molecules is monitored by laser photoionization spectroscopy. It is observed that the state-to-state rotational transitions in the surface scattering of ND[sub 3] are strongly coupled to the inversion symmetry change, as predicted by Corey and Alexander [J. Chem. Phys. [bold 89], 790 (1988)]. This coupling may be viewed as a constructive and destructive interference between the left'' and right'' inversion configurations of the molecule on the surface potential. The selection rules prohibiting para to ortho conversion, which have been predicted by Corey and Alexander for rotationally inelastic scattering of ammonia, are observed to be violated, perhaps, due to ND[sub 3] distortion at the impact.

OSTI ID:
6850817
Journal Information:
Journal of Chemical Physics; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Chemical Physics; (United States) Vol. 97:12; ISSN JCPSA6; ISSN 0021-9606
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English