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Title: Electron attachment and detachment: C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl, C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Br, and C{sub 6}F{sub 5}I and the electron affinity of C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl

Journal Article · · Physical Review. A
;  [1]
  1. Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Hanscom Air Force Base, Bedford, Massachusetts 01731-3010 (United States)

Measurements are reported of rate constants for electron attachment to C{sub 6}F{sub 5}X (X=Cl,Br,I) and thermal electron detachment from C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl{sup -} over the temperature range 300-550 K in 133 Pa of He gas in a flowing-afterglow Langmuir-probe apparatus. This is the first case we know of where the parent anion has sufficiently low electron detachment energy that detachment (from C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl{sup -} in this case) has been observed in competition with a channel for dissociative electron attachment yielding a thermally stable anion (here, Cl{sup -}). Because of this competition, it is shown that a simple mass spectrometric determination of the product branching fractions at long times will lead to erroneous results at elevated temperatures. The electron density profiles provide evidence for a new plasma decay process involving the detaching and nondetaching anions trapped in the space charge field of the positive ions. Electron attachment rate constants were found to be 1.0x10{sup -7}, 1.1x10{sup -7}, and 2.0x10{sup -7} cm{sup 3} s{sup -1}, at 300 K, for C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl, C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Br, and C{sub 6}F{sub 5}I, respectively, estimated accurate to {+-}25% except for C{sub 6}F{sub 5}I, where there is {+-}30% uncertainty. Rate constants for C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl changed little over our temperature range, while those for C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Br, and C{sub 6}F{sub 5}I increased with temperature. Electron detachment occurred only for C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl{sup -} in our temperature range. Detachment rate constants were immeasurable at room temperature but approached 4000 s{sup -1} at 550 K. From these data the electron affinity (EA) for C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl was determined, EA (C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl)=0.75{+-}0.08 eV. G3(MP2) calculations (based on Moeller-Plesset perturbation theory) were carried out for the neutral and anion and yielded EA(C{sub 6}F{sub 5}Cl)=0.728 eV.

OSTI ID:
20650231
Journal Information:
Physical Review. A, Vol. 71, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.71.012702; (c) 2005 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English