Fragmentation photofragmentation

In this paper, the photofragmentation of transition metal cluster complexes is discussed. The experimental information presented concerning the gas phase photodissociation of transition metal cluster complexes comes from laser photolysis followed by detection of fragments by ionization (5.). Ion counting techniques are used for detection because they are extremely sensitive and therefore suitable for the study of molecules with very low vapor pressures (6.26.27). In addition, ionization techniques allow the use of mass spectrometry for unambiguous identification of signal carriers. 

Such characteristics led to the proposal (3,8) that the mechanism for the fragmentation pathway must involve the formation of a reactive intermediate, an isomer of RujCCO)] capable of first order return to the initial cluster or of capture by a two electron donor. Scheme 1 illustrates the proposed mechanism for photofragmentation. 

The kg value was determined to be about 6.9 x 10" s independent of the nature of L in 50°C decalin (AH - 31.8 kcal mol-1 AS - +20.2 cal mol 1 K l). Competition ratios k.g/ky equal to 3 and 5 were determined for L - P(OPh3)3 and PPI13, respectively under the same conditions. The second order pathway was proposed to occur via nucleophilic attack of L on the cluster, and an intermediate with a formulation the same as II/ was suggested, without supporting evidence of its existence, as a possible initial product of this nucleophilic attack. However, since fragmentation was only a minor side reaction of the substitution reactions with L - PPI13, it is quite unlikely that the photofragmentation and second order thermal substitution reactions occur via a common intermediate. 

The only problem for the matrix-isolation of 21 consisted in the non-availability of a reasonable diazo precursor molecule suited for this technique. But since we already had experience with the preparation of 2,3-dihydrothiazol-2-ylidene46 (see below) by photofragmentation of thiazole-2-carboxylic acid we tried the same method with imidazole-2-carboxylic acid (20). Indeed, irradiation of 20 with a wavelength of 254 nm leads to decarboxylation and the formation of a complex between carbene 21 and CO2. This is shown by the observation that the experimental IR spectrum fits only with the calculated spectrum of complex 21-CC>2 (calculated stabilization energy relative to its fragments 4.3 kcal mol-1). The type of fixation of CO2 to 21 is indicated in the formula S-21 C02. 

Photofragmentation-laser-induced fluorescence (PD-LIF). This spectroscopic method is based on the photofragmentation of NH-, in a two-photon process using 193-nm radiation, followed by laser-induced fluorescence of the NH fragment (Schendel et al., 1990). The processes are as follows ... 

There is a difficulty with the mechanism of Scheme 3 in that the fragmentation of a triplet diradical should conserve spin, yet neither triplet Me2Si nor triplet tetraphenyl-naphthalene have been detected. The diradical pathway for the photofragmentation of silanorbornadienes confirms an earlier proposal by Barton and coworkers52. There is always the possibility that diradical intermediates such as the singlet and triplet 13 S and 13 T could function as silylenoids. Thus, the assumption that products from pyrolysis of 7-silanorbornadienes are formed from free silylenes must be treated with caution. 

However, a photofragmentation study of fullerene positive ions (O Brien et al. 1988) provides some experimental evidence that ring rearrangements are reasonably facile. In these studies a positive ion was mass-selected, excited by an excimer laser, and the resulting fragment ions mass detected. Almost certainly these large ions... 

Figure 4. Photofragmentation pattern of mass-selected CJ4 by ArF laser (15 mj cm 2) with about 3 ps allowed between the ArF laser pulse and mass selection of the fragment ions. Note that CJ0 is only about twice as prominent as its neighbours. The Cf4 peak is downwards because the data presented is the difference between excimer laser on and excimer laser off.

The extremely wide range of possible dissociation energies necessitates the use of different kinds of light source to break molecular bonds. Van der Waals molecules can be fragmented with single infrared (IR) photons whereas the fission of a chemical bond requires either a single ultraviolet (UV) or many IR photons. The photofragmentation of van der Waals molecules has become a very active field in the last decade and deserves a book in itself (Beswick and Halberstadt 1993). It is a special case of UV photodissociation and can be described by the same theoretical means. In Chapter 12 we will briefly discuss some simple aspects of IR photodissociation in order to elucidate the similarities and the differences to UV photodissociation. 

In indirect photofragmentation, on the other hand, a potential barrier or some other dynamical force hinders direct fragmentation of the excited complex and the lifetime amounts to at least several internal vibrational periods. The photodissociation of CH3ONO via the 51 state is a representative example. The middle part of Figure 1.11 shows the corresponding PES. Before CH30N0(5i) breaks apart it first performs several vibrations within the shallow well before a sufficient amount of energy is transferred from the N-0 vibrational bond to the O-N dissociation mode, which is necessary to surpass the small barrier. 

Balint-Kurti, G.G. and Shapiro, M. (1981). Photofragmentation of triatomic molecules. Theory of angular and state distribution of product fragments, Chem. Phys. 61, 137-155. 

Bruno, A.E., Briihlmann, U., and Huber, J.R. (1988). Photofragmentation LIF spectroscopy of NOCL at dissociation wavelengths > 450 nm. Parent electronic spectrum and spin state and A-doublet populations of nascent NO and CL fragments, Chem. Phys. 120, 155-167. 

The general theory for the absorption of light and its extension to photodissociation is outlined in Chapter 2. Chapters 3-5 summarize the basic theoretical tools, namely the time-independent and the time-dependent quantum mechanical theories as well as the classical trajectory picture of photodissociation. The two fundamental types of photofragmentation — direct and indirect photodissociation — will be elucidated in Chapters 6 and 7, and in Chapter 8 I will focus attention on some intermediate cases, which are neither truly direct nor indirect. Chapters 9-11 consider in detail the internal quantum state distributions of the fragment molecules which contain a wealth of information on the dissociation dynamics. Some related and more advanced topics such as the dissociation of van der Waals molecules, dissociation of vibrationally excited molecules, emission during dissociation, and nonadiabatic effects are discussed in Chapters 12-15. Finally, we consider briefly in Chapter 16 the most recent class of experiments, i.e., the photodissociation with laser pulses in the femtosecond range, which allows the study of the evolution of the molecular system in real time. 

R. C. Sausa, V. Swayambunathan and G. Singh, Detection of Energetic Materials by Laser Photofragmentation/Fragment Detection and Pyrolysis/Laser-Induced Fluorescence, ARL-TR-2387, U.S. Army Research Laboratory (2001). 

It was assumed in the preceding chapters that optical transitions between bonded states of molecules take place with no change in their chemical composition. Photodissociation and photoionization form a general class of photofragmentation processes in collisions between a molecule and a photon which lead to simple chemical reactions of disintegration into atomic or molecular fragments, or into ions and electrons. 

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