Radiative Association Kinetics RAK

The kinetics of ion/molecule adduct formation, under the conditions of low-pressure [ion cyclotron resonance (ICR)], is controlled by radiative relaxation the energy released by the complexation can only relax by emission of infrared photons. The link between the strength of the incipient bond and the association rate constants relies on models based on infrared emission for the relaxation of the energy of association [125, 126]. 

To date, the radiative association kinetics (RAK) technique has been applied to bond formation between metal cations and relatively simple molecules. The consistency of the results observed from different models suggests uncertainties of about 10-15 kJ mol  

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