Photodissociation dynamics of azulene.

Photodissociation of azulene at 193 nm was studied in a molecular beam using multimass ion imaging techniques. Most of the azulene molecules excited by 193 nm photon quickly relax to the ground electronic state through internal conversion, then isomerize to naphthalene, and eventually dissociate through the H atom elimination channel with a rate of 5.1 × 10[sup 4] s[sup -1]. A small amount of azulene entering different isomerization channels was found. The effect of dissociation in the energy transfer experiments using azulene as a vibrationally highly excited molecule and the existence of azulene in an interstellar medium is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]