Coulombic and non-Coulombic fragmentation of highly charged benzene

Abstract

Triple coincidence techniques have been used to measure the kinetic energies released (KER) upon fragmentation of C 6 H q+ 6 (q 4) molecules that are formed in collisions of benzene with 120 keV Ar 8+ ions. The measured KER spectrum, which shows definitive structure rather than a continuous profile, is simulated using a simple Coulomb explosion model that accounts for all the permutations and combinations of states from which these fragment ions can be produced from the precursor molecular ion. The simulated spectrum correlates very well with the measurements but for disagreement in the low-KER regime that is attributed to non-Coulombic fragmentation pathways. Thus, in a single spectrum, both non-Coulombic and Coulombic regimes are accessed.

Structure, Ionization, and Fragmentation of Neutral and Positively Charged Hydrogenated Carbon Clusters: CnHmq+ (n = 1–5, m = 1–4, q = 0–3)

“…In particular, geometries, simulated spectra, energies of their different species, and the rate of the possible reactions are crucial quantities in astrochemical modeling. In the last years there has been a large effort to provide such information for carbon clusters and hydrocarbon molecules, both in neutral and ionic states. ,− All these efforts converge into different databases such as the Kinetic Database for Astrochemistry (KIDA) …”

Imaging of the Structure of the Argon and Neon Dimer, Trimer, and Tetramer

“…The final momentum vectors of all fragments are then measured in coincidence, and the internuclear distances and bond angles can be retrieved from these data . Instead of stripping by fast traversal through a foil, the electrons can also be stripped off by multiple ionization by synchrotron light, − by ion impact, − or by a short intense laser pulse. − For such laser-based Coulomb explosion imaging which we use in the present study, the laser pulse must be short enough to avoid nuclear motion during the pulse.…”

Coulomb explosion of nitrogen and oxygen molecules through non-Coulombic states

“…Due to the Coulomb repulsion force, the multicharged molecular ions will explode into fragment ions with high kinetic energies. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] Coulomb explosion of molecules can be divided into three steps. First, an electron (usually from the HOMO) is removed at the rising edge of the laser pulse when molecules are irradiated by intense laser pulses.…”