Level vibrational

Vibrational energy states are too well separated to contribute much to the entropy or the energy of small molecules at ordinary temperatures, but for higher temperatures this may not be so, and both internal entropy and energy changes may occur due to changes in vibrational levels on adsoiption. From a somewhat different point of view, it is clear that even in physical adsorption, adsorbate molecules should be polarized on the surface (see Section VI-8), and in chemisorption more drastic perturbations should occur. Thus internal bond energies of adsorbed molecules may be affected. 

Morse P M 1929 Diatomic molecules according to the wave mechanics II. Vibrational levels Phys. Rev. 34 57... 

Much of the previous section dealt with two-level systems. Real molecules, however, are not two-level systems for many purposes there are only two electronic states that participate, but each of these electronic states has many states corresponding to different quantum levels for vibration and rotation. A coherent femtosecond pulse has a bandwidth which may span many vibrational levels when the pulse impinges on the molecule it excites a coherent superposition of all tliese vibrational states—a vibrational wavepacket. In this section we deal with excitation by one or two femtosecond optical pulses, as well as continuous wave excitation in section A 1.6.4 we will use the concepts developed here to understand nonlinear molecular electronic spectroscopy. 

Some recent advances in stimulated desorption were made with the use of femtosecond lasers. For example, it was shown by using a femtosecond laser to initiate the desorption of CO from Cu while probing the surface with SHG, that the entire process is completed in less than 325 fs [90]. The mechanism for this kind of laser-induced desorption has been temied desorption induced by multiple electronic transitions (DIMET) [91]. Note that the mechanism must involve a multiphoton process, as a single photon at the laser frequency has insufScient energy to directly induce desorption. DIMET is a modification of the MGR mechanism in which each photon excites the adsorbate to a higher vibrational level, until a suflBcient amount of vibrational energy has been amassed so that the particle can escape the surface. 

The observation of a bend progression is particularly significant. In photoelectron spectroscopy, just as in electronic absorption or emission spectroscopy, the extent of vibrational progressions is governed by Franck-Condon factors between the initial and final states, i.e. the transition between the anion vibrational level u" and neutral level u is given by... 

Leu G-H, Huang C-L, Lee S-H, Lee Y-C and Chen l-C 1998 Vibrational levels of the transition state and rate of dissociation of triplet acetaldehyde J. Chem. Phys. 109 9340-50... 

This last transition moment integral, if plugged into equation (B 1.1.2). will give the integrated intensity of a vibronic band, i.e. of a transition starting from vibrational state a of electronic state 1 and ending on vibrational level b of electronic state u. 

Now the spectrum will show various transitions originating with state iih and ending on the various vibrational levels la of the lower electronic state. Equation (Bl.1.14) (or Bl.1.13) if we have to worry about variation of transition... 

We now discuss the lifetime of an excited electronic state of a molecule. To simplify the discussion we will consider a molecule in a high-pressure gas or in solution where vibrational relaxation occurs rapidly, we will assume that the molecule is in the lowest vibrational level of the upper electronic state, level uO, and we will fiirther assume that we need only consider the zero-order tenn of equation (BE 1.7). A number of radiative transitions are possible, ending on the various vibrational levels a of the lower state, usually the ground state. The total rate constant for radiative decay, which we will call, is the sum of the rate constants,... 

The selection rule for vibronic states is then straightforward. It is obtained by exactly the same procedure as described above for the electronic selection rules. In particular, the lowest vibrational level of the ground electronic state of most stable polyatomic molecules will be totally synnnetric. Transitions originating in that vibronic level must go to an excited state vibronic level whose synnnetry is the same as one of the coordinates, v, y, or z. 

The only tenn in this expression that we have not already seen is a, the vibration-rotation coupling constant. It accounts for the fact that as the molecule vibrates, its bond length changes which in turn changes the moment of inertia. Equation B1.2.2 can be simplified by combming the vibration-rotation constant with the rotational constant, yielding a vibrational-level-dependent rotational constant. 

The quantum mechanical treatment of a hamionic oscillator is well known. Real vibrations are not hamionic, but the lowest few vibrational levels are often very well approximated as being hamionic, so that is a good place to start. The following description is similar to that found in many textbooks, such as McQuarrie (1983) [2]. The one-dimensional Schrodinger equation is... 

In addition to the dependence of the intennolecular potential energy surface on monomer vibrational level, the red-shifting of the monomer absorption as a fiinction of the number of rare gas atoms in the cluster has been studied. The band origin for the Vppp = 1 -t— 0 vibration in a series of clusters Ar -HF, with 0 < n < 5, was measured and compared to the HF vibrational frequency in an Ar matrix (n = oo). The monomer vibrational frequency Vp p red shifts monotonically, but highly nonlinearly, towards the matrix value as sequential Ar atoms are added. Indeed, roughly 50% of the shift is already accounted for by n = 3. 

An alternative fifth order Raman quasi-echo experiment can also be perfomied [130. 131. 132. 133 and 134]. Unlike the true Raman echo which involves only two vibrational levels, this process requires the presence of tliree very nearly evenly spaced levels. A WMEL diagram for the Raman quasi-echo process is shown in figure Bl.3.8. Here again the first two field actions create a vibrational coherence which is allowed to dephase. This is followed by a second pair of... 

For many reaction products and for the detection of molecules in their ground vibrational level, some laser-based spectroscopic method must be employed, rather than observation of spontaneous emission. The simplest spectroscopic method for detemiining concentrations of specified product internal states would involve the... 

Optical metiiods, in both bulb and beam expermrents, have been employed to detemiine tlie relative populations of individual internal quantum states of products of chemical reactions. Most connnonly, such methods employ a transition to an excited electronic, rather than vibrational, level of tlie molecule. Molecular electronic transitions occur in the visible and ultraviolet, and detection of emission in these spectral regions can be accomplished much more sensitively than in the infrared, where vibrational transitions occur. In addition to their use in the study of collisional reaction dynamics, laser spectroscopic methods have been widely applied for the measurement of temperature and species concentrations in many different kinds of reaction media, including combustion media [31] and atmospheric chemistry [32]. 

There are several requirements for this to be a suitable deteetion method for a given moleeule. Obviously, tire moleeule must have a transition to a bound, exeited eleetronie state whose wavelength ean be reaehed with tunable laser radiation, and the band system must have been previously speetroseopioally assigned. If the moleeules are fonned with eonsiderable vibrational exeitation, the available speetroseopie data may not extend up to these vibrational levels. Transitions in the visible ean be aeeessed direetly by the output of a tunable dye laser, while transitions in the ultraviolet ean be reaehed by Ifequeney-doubled radiation. The... 

To compare the relative populations of vibrational levels, the intensities of vibrational transitions out of these levels are compared. Figure B2.3.10 displays typical potential energy curves of the ground and an excited electronic state of a diatomic molecule. The intensity of a (v, v ) vibrational transition can be written as... 

Figure B2.3.10. Potential energy eiirves [42] of the ground X and exeited A eleetronie states of the hydroxyl radieal. Several vibrational levels are explieitly drawn in eaeh eleetronie state. One vibrational transition is explieitly indieated, and the upper and lower vibrational wavefiinetions are plotted. The upper and lower state vibrational quantum numbers are denoted V and v", respeetively. Also shown is one of the three repulsive potential energy eurves whieh eorrelate with the ground 0( P) + H dissoeiation asymptote. These eause predissoeiation of the higher rotational and vibrational levels of the A state.

Figure B2.3.12. Rotational transitions between a speeifie pair of vibrational levels in a eleetronie...

Figure B2.3.15. Laser fluorescence excitation spectrum of the A S -X ff (1,3) band for the OH product, in the V = 3 vibrational level, from tire H + NO2 reaction [44]- (By pemrission from AIP.)...

This teclnhque can be used both to pennit the spectroscopic detection of molecules, such as H2 and HCl, whose first electronic transition lies in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral region, for which laser excitation is possible but inconvenient [ ], or molecules such as CH that do not fluoresce. With 2-photon excitation, the required wavelengdis are in the ultraviolet, conveniently generated by frequency-doubled dye lasers, rather than 1-photon excitation in the vacuum ultraviolet. Figure B2.3.17 displays 2 + 1 REMPI spectra of the HCl and DCl products, both in their v = 0 vibrational levels, from the Cl + (CHg) CD reaction [ ]. For some electronic states of HCl/DCl, both parent and fragment ions are produced, and the spectrum in figure B2.3.17 for the DCl product was recorded by monitoring mass 2 (D ions. In this case, both isotopomers (D Cl and D Cl) are detected. 

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