Electronic selection rules diatomics

In the case of atoms (Section 7.1) a sufficient number of quantum numbers is available for us to be able to express electronic selection rules entirely in terms of these quantum numbers. For diatomic molecules (Section 7.2.3) we require, in addition to the quantum numbers available, one or, for homonuclear diatomics, two symmetry properties (-F, — and g, u) of the electronic wave function to obtain selection rules. 

For the orbital parts of the electronic wave functions of two electronic states the selection rules depend entirely on symmetry properties. [In fact, the electronic selection rules can also be obtained, from symmetry arguments only, for diatomic molecules and atoms, using the (or and Kf point groups, respectively but it is more... 

The electronic selection rule for nonzero electrostatic or nuclear kinetic energy coupling matrix elements is quite simple for diatomic molecules only states with identical electronic quantum numbers can perturb each other. For polyatomic molecules, the situation is not always so simple. It is possible that two electronic states will have different electronic quantum numbers in a high-... 

One of the consequences of this selection rule concerns forbidden electronic transitions. They caimot occur unless accompanied by a change in vibrational quantum number for some antisynnnetric vibration. Forbidden electronic transitions are not observed in diatomic molecules (unless by magnetic dipole or other interactions) because their only vibration is totally synnnetric they have no antisymmetric vibrations to make the transitions allowed. 

For atoms, electronic states may be classified and selection rules specified entirely by use of the quantum numbers L, S and J. In diatomic molecules the quantum numbers A, S and Q are not quite sufficient. We must also use one (for heteronuclear) or two (for homonuclear) symmetry properties of the electronic wave function ij/. ... 

In Figure 7.25 are shown stacks of rotational levels associated with two electronic states between which a transition is allowed by the -F -F and, if it is a homonuclear diatomic, g u selection rules of Equations (7.70) and (7.71). The sets of levels would be similar if both were states or if the upper state were g and the lower state u The rotational term values for any X state are given by the expression encountered first in Equation (5.23), namely... 

These selection rules are affected by molecular vibrations, since vibrations distort the symmetry of a molecule in both electronic states. Therefore, an otherwise forbidden transition may be (weakly) allowed. An example is found in the lowest singlet-singlet absorption in benzene at 260 nm. Finally, the Franck-Condon principle restricts the nature of allowed transitions. A large number of calculated Franck-Condon factors are now available for diatomic molecules. 

Upon absorption of light of an appropriate wavelength, a diatomic molecule can undergo an electronic transition, along with simultaneous vibrational and rotational transitions. In this case, there is no restriction on Au. That is, the selection rule Av = +1 valid for purely vibrational and vibrational-rotational transitions no longer applies thus numerous vibrational transitions can occur. If the molecule is at room temperature, it will normally be in its lower state, v" = 0 hence transitions corresponding to v" = 0 to v = 0,... 

To investigate the spectra of diatomic molecules, we need the selection rules for radiative transitions. We now investigate the electric-dipole selection rules for transitions between vibration-rotation levels belonging to the same 2 electronic state. (Transitions in which the electronic state changes will be considered in Chapter 7.)... 

We now consider radiative transitions foi which both v and J change, but the electronic state does not these transitions give the vibration-rotation spectra of diatomic molecules. The selection rules for these transitions were found in Section 4.4 to be ( 2 states only)... 

The electronic quantum numbers of diatomic molecules are discussed in Sections 1.19 and 4.11. The selection rule for A can be shown to be... 

Electric-quadrupole transition, 123,127 Electromagnetic radiation, 114-117. See also Radiation, electromagnetic Electromagnetic spectrum, 115 Electronic energy, 57,64,148 Electronic spectra, 130, 296-314 of diatomics, 298-306 and molecular structure, 311 of polyatomics, 71-72, 73, 75, 306-314 selection rules for, 297-301, 306-307 Electronic structure of molecules, 56-76 Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), 319-320 Electron spin resonance (ESR), 130, 366-381... 

Recall that homonuclear diatomic molecules have no vibration-rotation or pure-rotation spectra due to the vanishing of the permanent electric dipole moment. For electronic transitions, the transition-moment integral (7.4) does not involve the dipole moment d hence electric-dipole electronic transitions are allowed for homonuclear diatomic molecules, subject to the above selection rules, of course. [The electric dipole moment d is given by (1.289), and should be distinguished from the electric dipole-moment operator d, which is given by (1.286).] Analysis of the vibrational and rotational structure of an electronic transition in a homonuclear diatomic molecule allows the determination of the vibrational and rotational constants of the electronic states involved, which is information that cannot be provided by IR or microwave spectroscopy. (Raman spectroscopy can also furnish information on the constants of the ground electronic state of a homonuclear diatomic molecule.)... 

As is the case for diatomic molecules, rotational fine structure of electronic spectra of polyatomic molecules is very similar, in principle, to that of their infrared vibrational spectra. For linear, symmetric rotor, spherical rotor and asymmetric rotor molecules the selection rules are the same as those discussed in Sections 6.2.4.1 to 6.2.4.4. The major difference, in practice, is that, as for diatomics, there is likely to be a much larger change of geometry, and therefore of rotational constants, from one electronic state to another than from one vibrational state to another. 

Indicate which of the following electronic transitions are forbidden in a diatomic molecule, stating which selection rules result in the forbidden character ... 

Recombination may also proceed via an electronically excited state if during the course of a bimolecular collision the system may transfer from the nonquantized part of the potential curve associated with one electronic state to a second state from which emission is allowed. This process is called preassociation or inverse predissociation, and the selection rules that control the probability of crossing in both directions are well known [109]. In such encounters total angular momentum must be conserved. For diatomic molecules, the system can pass only into the rotational level of the excited bound state which corresponds to the initial orbital angular momentum in the collision. 

Although electronic wave functions for diatomic molecules containing unlike nuclei cannot be rigorously classified as even or odd, they often approach members of these classes rather closely, and obey an approximate selection rule of the above type.)... 

In the form of Eq. (3.4.3), Hso is a single-electron operator. It is prudent to avoid discussion of further simplified effective forms of this operator, such as AL-S, because these forms of Hso have led to many errors in the literature. The selection rules for the microscopic Hso operator are based on its symmetry with respect to the operations of the point group of the diatomic molecule, Coou(heteronuclear) or T oo/i (homonuclear). The a factor of Hso is invariant under all symmetry operations. The lj-Sj term may be expanded,... 

Radford (1961, 1962) and Radford and Broida (1962) presented a complete theory of the Zeeman effect for diatomic molecules that included perturbation effects. This led to a series of detailed investigations of the CN B2E+ (v — 0) A2II (v = 10) perturbation in which many of the techniques of modern high-resolution molecular spectroscopy and analysis were first demonstrated anticrossing spectroscopy (Radford and Broida, 1962, 1963), microwave optical double resonance (Evenson, et at, 1964), excited-state hyperfine structure with perturbations (Radford, 1964), effect of perturbations on radiative lifetimes and on inter-electronic-state collisional energy transfer (Radford and Broida, 1963). A similarly complete treatment of the effect of a magnetic field on the CO a,3E+ A1 perturbation complex is reported by Sykora and Vidal (1998). The AS = 0 selection rule for the Zeeman Hamiltonian leads to important differences between the CN B2E+ A2II and CO a/3E+ A1 perturbation plus Zeeman examples, primarily in the absence in the latter case of interference effects between the Zeeman and intramolecular perturbation terms. 

The molecule nitrous oxide NgO, contains just as many electrons as CO2. Hence, one would at first be inclined to expect that it too is rectilinear and symmetrical. The investigations of Plyler and Barker(i39), however, have shown conclusively that the molecule is rectilinear and unsymmetrical, very probably of the type NNO, although an unsymmetrical configuration NON cannot be excluded in principle. The rectilinear character is confirmed again by the simple type of rotational structure of all the vibration-rotation bands, already discussed in the case of diatomic molecules like HOI (see section 23 and fig. 33) and also found for CO2 (see previous section, fig. 43). That the molecule is unsymmetrical follows in the first place from the fact that all three normal frequencies ct>2, CO3 are active and, more generally, that the selection rule of Dennison for symmetrical triatomic molecules, according to which for the observable combination bands AtJg + A 3 must be odd, is not obeyed, in contrast to CO2. In addition, if... 

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