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The photoelectron images of CH− have been recorded using detachment wavelengths of 532 and 355 nm. The spectra show two features arising from photodetachment of the 3Σ− ground state of CH− to the ground, X2Π, and first excited, a4Σ−, states of CH. The electron affinity of CH is measured to be 1.26 ± 0.02 eV and the a4Σ− binding energy is 1.98 ± 0.02 eV. Photoelectron angular distributions depend on the detachment energy and are characteristic of electron ejection from two different, orthogonal, orbitals in CH−.

The photoelectron spectrum of the oxyallyl (OXA) radical anion has been measured. The radical anion has been generated in the reaction of the atomic oxygen radical anion (O(•-)) with acetone. Three low-lying electronic states of OXA have been observed in the spectrum. Electronic structure calculations have been performed for the triplet states ((3)B(2) and (3)B(1)) of OXA and the ground doublet state ((2)A(2)) of the radical anion using density functional theory (DFT). Spectral simulations have been carried out for the triplet states based on the results of the DFT calculations. The simulation identifies a vibrational progression of the CCC bending mode of the (3)B(2) state of OXA in the lower electron binding energy (eBE) portion of the spectrum. On top of the (3)B(2) feature, however, the experimental spectrum exhibits additional photoelectron peaks whose angular distribution is distinct from that for the vibronic peaks of the (3)B(2) state. Complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method and second-order perturbation theory based on the CASSCF wave function (CASPT2) have been employed to study the lowest singlet state ((1)A(1)) of OXA. The simulation based on the results of these electronic structure calculations establishes that the overlapping peaks represent the vibrational ground level of the (1)A(1) state and its vibrational progression of the CO stretching mode. The (1)A(1) state is the lowest electronic state of OXA, and the electron affinity (EA) of OXA is 1.940 ± 0.010 eV. The (3)B(2) state is the first excited state with an electronic term energy of 55 ± 2 meV. The widths of the vibronic peaks of the X̃ (1)A(1) state are much broader than those of the ã (3)B(2) state, implying that the (1)A(1) state is indeed a transition state. The CASSCF and CASPT2 calculations suggest that the (1)A(1) state is at a potential maximum along the nuclear coordinate representing disrotatory motion of the two methylene groups, which leads to three-membered-ring formation, i.e., cyclopropanone. The simulation of b̃ (3)B(1) OXA reproduces the higher eBE portion of the spectrum very well. The term energy of the (3)B(1) state is 0.883 ± 0.012 eV. Photoelectron spectroscopic measurements have also been conducted for the other ion products of the O(•-) reaction with acetone. The photoelectron imaging spectrum of the acetylcarbene (AC) radical anion exhibits a broad, structureless feature, which is assigned to the X̃ (3)A'' state of AC. The ground ((2)A'') and first excited ((2)A') states of the 1-methylvinoxy (1-MVO) radical have been observed in the photoelectron spectrum of the 1-MVO ion, and their vibronic structure has been analyzed.

Photoelectron imaging has broadened the scope of traditional photoelectron spectroscopy by combining a simultaneous photoelectron angular distribution, PAD, measurement with kinetic energy analysis. A fundamental understanding of PADs has been largely limited to simple atomic systems. However, a new model has recently been developed that predicts PADs as a function of electron kinetic energy for a simple linear combination of s and p atomic orbitals. We used CH(-) to test this model by acquiring PADs in a photoelectron imaging spectrometer at wavelengths from 600 to 355 nm. The PADs for electron detachment from the HOMO (1π) of CH(-) fit model predictions. However, the PADs associated with detachment from the HOMO-1 (3σ) orbital exhibit anomalous behavior at low electron kinetic energies because of a resonant process that arises from a previously undetected excited state of CH(-).

An approximate model for analytical prediction of photoelectron angular distributions in anion photodetachment from mixed s-p states is presented. Considering the dipole-allowed s, p, and d free-electron partial waves, the model describes photodetachment anisotropy in terms of the fractional p character of the initial orbital and the A and B coefficients describing the relative intensities of the p → d to p → s and s → p to p → s channels, respectively. The model represents an extension of the central-potential model to an intermediate regime encompassing varying degrees of s and p contributions to the initial bound orbital. This description is applicable to a broad class of hybrid molecular orbitals, particularly those localized predominantly on a single atom. Under the additional assumption of hydrogenic or Slater-type orbitals, the B/A ratio in photodetachment from a mixed 2s-2p state is shown to equal 8/3. Corresponding fractions are derived for other ns-np mixing cases. The predictions of the model are tested on several anion systems, including NH(2)(-) and CCl(2)(-). The quantitative discrepancies in the latter case are attributed to the breakdown of the central-atom approximation and a mechanism for corresponding corrections is indicated.

Electronic structure of the oxyallyl diradical and the anion is investigated using high-level ab initio methods. Converged theoretical estimates of the energy differences between low-lying electronic states of oxyallyl (OXA) as well as detachment energies of the anion are reported. Our best estimates of the adiabatic energy differences between the anion (2)A(2) and the neutral (3)B(2) and (3)B(1) states are 1.94 and 2.73 eV, respectively. The (1)A(1) state lies above (3)B(2) vertically, but geometric relaxation brings it below the triplet. The two-dimensional scan of the singlet (1)A(1) potential energy surface (PES) reveals that there is no minimum corresponding to a singlet diradical structure. Thus, singlet OXA undergoes prompt barrierless ring closure. However, a flat shape of the PES results in the resonance trapping in the Franck-Condon region, giving rise to the experimentally observable features in the photoelectron spectrum. By performing reduced-dimensionality wave packet calculations, we estimated that the wave packet lingers in the Franck-Condon region for about 170 fs, which corresponds to the spectral line broadening of about 200 cm(-1). We also present calculations of the photodetachment spectrum and compare it with experimental data. Our calculations lend strong support to the assignment of the photoelectron spectrum of the OXA anion reported in Ichino et al. (Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 2009, 48, 8509).

Negative-ion photoelectron imaging at 532, 392, 355, and 266 nm is used to assign several low-lying electronic states of neutral nitromethane CH(3)NO(2) at the geometry corresponding to the anion equilibrium. The observed neutral states include (in the order of increasing binding energy) the X (1)A(') ground state, two triplet excited states, a (3)A(") and b (3)A("), and the first excited singlet state, A (1)A("). The state assignments are aided by the analysis of the photoelectron angular distributions resulting from electron detachment from the a(') and a(") symmetry molecular orbitals and the results of theoretical calculations. The singlet-triplet (X (1)A(')-a (3)A(")) splitting in nitromethane is determined as 2.90(+0.02)/(-0.07) eV, while the vibrational structure of the band corresponding to the formation of the a (3)A(") state of CH(3)NO(2) is attributed to the ONO bending and NO(2) wagging motions excited in the photodetachment of the anion.

Infrared multiple photon dissociation spectra for size-selected water cluster anions (H2O)-n, n=15–50, are presented covering the frequency range of 560–1820 cm-1. The cluster ions are trapped and cooled by collisions with ambient He gas at 20 K, with the goal of defining the cluster temperature better than in previous investigations of these species. Signal is seen in two frequency regions centered around 700 and 1500–1650 cm-1, corresponding to water librational and bending motions, respectively. The bending feature associated with a double-acceptor water molecule binding to the excess electron is clearly seen up to n=35, but above n=25; this feature begins to blueshift and broadens, suggesting a more delocalized electron binding motif for the larger clusters in which the excess electron interacts with multiple water molecules.

The photoelectron spectra of NCCCN(-) have been measured at 355 and 266 nm by means of photoelectron imaging. The spectra show two distinct features, corresponding to the ground and first excited states of dycianocarbene. With support from theoretical calculations using the spin-flip coupled-cluster methods, the ground electronic state of HCCCN is assigned as a triplet state, while the first excited state is a closed-shell singlet. The photoelectron band corresponding to the triplet is broad and congested, indicating a large geometry change between the anion and neutral. A single sharp feature of the singlet band suggests that the geometry of the excited neutral is similar to that of the anion. In agreement with these observations, theoretical calculations show that the neutral triplet state is either linear or quasilinear (X (3)B(1) or (3)Sigma(g) (-)), while the closed-shell singlet (a (1)A(1)) geometry is strongly bent, similar to the anion structure. The adiabatic electron binding energy of the closed-shell singlet is measured to be 3.72+/-0.02 eV. The best estimate of the origin of the triplet band gives an experimental upper bound of the adiabatic electron affinity of NCCCN, EA/=3.25+/-0.05 eV, while the Franck-Condon modeling yields an estimate of EA(NCCCN)=3.20+/-0.05 eV. From these results, the singlet-triplet splitting is estimated to be DeltaE(ST)(X (3)B(1)/(3)Sigma(g) (-)-a (1)A(1))=0.52+/-0.05 eV (12.0+/-1.2 kcal/mol).

A novel instrumental setup for measuring infrared photodissociation spectra of buffer gas cooled, mass‐selected ions is described and tested. It combines a cryogenically cooled, linear radio frequency ion trap with a tandem mass spectrometer, optimally coupling continuous ion sources to pulsed laser experiments. The use of six independently adjustable DC potentials superimposed over the trapping radio frequency field provides control over the ion distribution within, as well as the kinetic energy distribution of the ions extracted from the ion trap. The scheme allows focusing the ions in space and time, such that they can be optimally irradiated by a pulsed, widely tunable infrared photodissociation laser. Ion intensities are monitored with a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer mounted orthogonally to the ion trap axis.