Photodissociative branching

Z. Chen,M. Shapiro, P. Brumer, Interference control of photodissociation branching ratios. Two-color frequency tuning of intense laser fields, Chem. Phys. Lett. 228 (1994) 289. 

The mechanism of the FOIST based selective control of IBr photodissociation has been further probed by the use of and V iii the TDWP calculation of IBr absorption spectrum (Fig. 5) and branching ratio (Fig. 6). 

The overall OD vibrational distribution from the HOD photodissociation resembles that from the D2O photodissociation. Similarly, the OH vibrational distribution from the HOD photodissociation is similar to that from the H2O photodissociation. There are, however, notable differences for the OD products from HOD and D2O, similarly for the OH products from HOD and H2O. It is also clear that rotational temperatures are all quite cold for all OH (OD) products. From the above experimental results, the branching ratio of the H and D product channels from the HOD photodissociation can be estimated, since the mixed sample of H2O and D2O with 1 1 ratio can quickly reach equilibrium with the exact ratios of H2O, HOD and D2O known to be 1 2 1. Because the absorption spectrum of H2O at 157nm is a broadband transition, we can reasonably assume that the absorption cross-sections are the same for the three water isotopomer molecules. It is also quite obvious that the quantum yield of these molecules at 157 nm excitation should be unity since the A1B surface is purely repulsive and is not coupled to any other electronic surfaces. From the above measurement of the H-atom products from the mixed sample, the ratio of the H-atom products from HOD and H2O is determined to be 1.27. If we assume the quantum yield for H2O at 157 is unity, the quantum yield for the H production should be 0.64 (i.e. 1.27 divided by 2) since the HOD concentration is twice that of H2O in the mixed sample. Similarly, from the above measurement of the D-atom product from the mixed sample, we can actually determine the ratio of the D-atom products from HOD and D2O to be 0.52. Using the same assumption that the quantum yield of the D2O photodissociation at 157 nm is unity, the quantum yield of the D-atom production from the HOD photodissociation at 157 nm is determined to be 0.26. Therefore the total quantum yield for the H and D products from HOD is 0.64 + 0.26 = 0.90. This is a little bit smaller ( 10%) than 1 since the total quantum yield of the H and D productions from the HOD photodissociation should be unity because no other dissociation channel is present for the HOD photodissociation other than the H and D atom elimination processes. There are a couple of sources of error, however, in this estimation (a) the assumption that the absorption cross-sections of all three water isotopomers at 157 nm are exactly the same, and (b) the accuracy of the volume mixture in the... 

However, a shortcoming with the VUV photoionization approach is that absolute PI cross-sections are very often not known, and therefore branching ratios cannot be estimated. As matter of fact, studies of photodissociation processes by soft PI using synchrotron light are usually accompanied by measurements carried out using classic (hard) El ionization, where much data have to be taken at all possible fragment masses in order to estimate branching ratios.14-16,20... 

The early work on the photolysis of water was in the gas phase employing one photon. The branching ratio of the photodissociation into H + OH and H2 + O was reported by McNesby et al. [28] as 3 1 at a photon energy of 10.03 eV. Ever since, that ratio has been consistently revised in favor of the H + OH reaction with the final result of Stief et al. [29] giving 0.99 0.01 for 6.70-8.54 eV photon energy and 0.89 0.11 for the interval 8.54-11.80 eV. In the absence of direct determination these ratios often are assumed valid in the liquid phase. In the early work of Sokolev and Stein [30], mainly the photodissociation quantum yield in liquid water was measured, but a small photoionization yield of -0.05 was attributed to the process... 

Schmidt, S., R. N. Schindler, and T. Benter, Photodissociation Dynamics of CIO and CIOOCI Branching Ratios, Kinetic Energy and Quantum Yield of Primary Photoproducts, Presented at the XXIII Informal Conference on Photochemistry, May 10-15,... 

EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATION OF LASER CONTROL ELECTRONIC BRANCHING IN THE PHOTODISSOCIATION OF Na2... 

Control over the product branching ratio in the photodissociation of Na2 into Na(3s) + Na(3p), and Na(3s) + Na(3d) is demonstrated using a two-photon incoherent interference control scenario. Ordinary pulsed nanosecond lasers are used and the Na2 is at thermal equilibrium in a heat pipe. Results show a depletion in the Na(3d) product of at least 25% and a concomitant increase in the Na(3p) yield as the relative frequency of the two lasers is scanned. 

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