Real-time autodetachment dynamics of the loosely-bound excess electron from the vibrational Feshbach resonances of the dipole-bound states (DBS) of 4-bromophonoxide (4-BrPhO-) and 4-chlorophenoxide (4-ClPhO-) anions have been thoroughly investigated. The...

Anion chemical dynamics of autodetachment and fragmentation mediated by the dipole-bound state (DBS) have been thoroughly investigated in a state-specific way for the first time by employing the picosecond time-resolved or the nanosecond frequency-resolved spectroscopy combined with the cryogenically cooled ion trap and velocity-map imaging techniques. For the ortho-, meta-, or para-iodophenoxide anion (o-, m-, or p-IPhO -), the C-I bond rupture giving the anionic iodide (I -) fragment occurs via the nonadiabatic transition from the DBS to the nearby valence-bound states (VBS) of the anion where the vibronic coupling into the S1 (πσ*) state (which is repulsive along the C-I bond extension coordinate) should be largely responsible. The dynamic details are governed by the isomer-specific nature of the potential energy surfaces in the vicinity of the DBS-VBS curve crossings, as manifested in the huge different chemical reactivity of o-, m-, or p-IPhO -. It is confirmed here that the C-I bond dissociation is mediated by DBS resonances, providing the foremost evidence that the metastable DBS plays the essential role as the doorway into the anion chemistry especially of the dissociative electron attachment (DEA). The fragmentation channel is dominant when it is mediated by the DBS resonances located below the electron-affinity (EA) threshold, whereas it is kinetically adjusted by the competitive autodetachment process when the DBS resonances lying above EA convey the electron to the valence orbitals. The product yield of the C-I bond cleavage is strongly mode-dependent as the rate of the concomitant autodetachment is much influenced by the characteristics of the individual vibrational modes, paving a new way of the reaction control of the anion chemistry.

Conspectus Nonvalence bound states (NBS) are anionic states where the excess electron is extremely loosely bound to the neutral core through long-range potentials. In contrast to the valence orbitals of which the electron occupancy determines the molecular structure, as well as the chemical reactivity, the nonvalence orbital is quite diffuse and located far from the neutral core. The NBS can be classified into the dipole-bound state (DBS), quadruple-bound state (QBS), or correlation-bound state (CBS) according to the nature of the electron-neutral interaction, although their interaction potentials may cooperatively contribute. The NBS is ubiquitous in nature and has the strong implications in atmospheric, interstellar, or biological chemistry. Accordingly, NBS has long been conceived to play the role of the doorway into the formation of a stable anion or dissociative electron attachment (DEA). Despite intensive and extensive studies, however, the quantum-mechanical nature of NBS is still far from being thorough understanding. Herein, we describe a new aspect of state-specific NBS-mediated chemical dynamics, which has been revealed through a series of recent studies by our group. We have employed picosecond time–resolved pump–probe spectroscopy combined with cryogenically cooled ion trap and velocity-map imaging techniques to study closed-shell anions generated by electrospray ionization. DBS vibrational Feshbach resonances are prepared by the optical excitation of phenoxide, for instance, and their individual lifetimes have been precisely measured in a state-specific manner to reveal the strong mode-dependency of the autodetachment rate. Fermi’s golden rule turns out to be extremely useful for a rational explanation of the experiment, although the more sophisticated theoretical model is desirable for the more quantitative analysis. For the DBS of para-chlorophenoxide or para-bromophenoxide where the polarizability of neutral core is substantial, the Fermi’s golden rule based on the charge-dipole potential needs to be significantly modified to include the correlation effects to explain the exceptionally slow autodetachment rates. For the QBS of 4-cyanophenoxide, the mode-specific behavior of the quadrupole ellipsoid tensor explains the strong mode-dependent autodetachment rate. Meanwhile, the nonadiabatic transition of the excess electron into the valence orbital can result in stable anion formation or immediate chemical bond rupture. In the DBS of ortho-, meta-, or para-iodophenoxide, the transformation of the loosely bound excess electron into the πσ* antibonding orbital occurs to give I– as a final fragment. The fragmentation mediated by DBS occurs competitively with the concomitant autodetachment, paving a new way of the reaction control by tuning the quantum-mechanical nature of the DBS Feshbach resonance. This experimental observation provides the foremost evidence for the dynamic role of the DBS as a doorway into anion chemistry, such as DEA. The ponderomotive force on the electron in the nonvalence orbital...

The S–H bond tunneling predissociation dynamics of thiophenol and its ortho-substituted derivatives (2-fluorothiophenol, 2-methoxythiophenol, and 2-chlorothiphenol) in S1 (ππ*) where the H atom tunneling is mediated by the nearby S2 (πσ*) state (which is repulsive along the S–H bond extension coordinate) have been investigated in a state-specific way using the picosecond time-resolved pump–probe spectroscopy for the jet-cooled molecules. The effects of the specific vibrational mode excitations and the SH/SD substitutions on the S–H­(D) bond rupture tunneling dynamics have been interrogated, giving deep insights into the multidimensional aspects of the S1/S2 conical intersection, which also shapes the underlying adiabatic tunneling potential energy surfaces (PESs). The semiclassical tunneling rate calculations based on the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) approximation or Zhu–Nakamura (ZN) theory have been carried out based on the ab initio PESs calculated in the (one, two, or three) reduced dimensions to be compared with the experiment. Though the quantitative experimental results could not be reproduced satisfactorily by the present calculations, the qualitative trends among different molecules in terms of the behavior of the tunneling rate versus the (adiabatic) barrier height or the number of PES dimensions could be rationalized. Most interestingly, the H/D kinetic isotope effect observed in the tunneling rate could be much better explained by the ZN theory compared to the WKB approximation, indicating that the nonadiabatic coupling matrix elements should be invoked for understanding the tunneling dynamics taking place in the proximity of the conical intersection.

Mode-dependent H atom tunneling dynamics of the O-H bond predissociation of the S1 phenol has been theoretically analyzed. As the tunneling is governed by the complicated multi-dimensional potential energy surfaces which are dynamically shaped by the upper-lying S1(ππ*)/S2(πσ*) conical intersection, the mode-specific tunneling dynamics of phenol (S1) has been quite formidable to be understood. Herein, we have examined the topography of the potential energy surface along the particular S1 vibrational mode of interest at the nuclear configurations of S1 minimum and S1/S2 conical intersection. The effective adiabatic tunneling barrier experienced by the reactive flux at the particular S1 vibrational mode excitation is then uniquely determined by the topographic shape of the potential energy surface extended along the conical intersection seam coordinate associated with the particular vibrational mode. The resultant multi-dimensional coupling of the specific vibrational mode to the tunneling coordinate is then reflected in the mode-dependent tunneling rate as well as nonadiabatic transition probability. Remarkably, the mode-specific experimental result of the S1 phenol tunneling reaction [ J. Phys. Chem. A 2019, 123, 1529-1537] (in terms of the qualitative and relative mode-dependent dynamic behavior) could be well rationalized by semi-classical calculations based on the mode-specific topography of the effective tunneling barrier, providing the clear conceptual insight that the skewed potential energy surfaces along the conical intersection seam (strongly or weakly coupled to the tunneling reaction coordinate) may dictate the tunneling dynamics in the proximity of the conical intersection.