Photodissociation of HN<INF>3</INF> at 248 nm and Longer Wavelength:  A CASSCF Study

In the present work, photodissociation of HN<INF>3</INF> at 248 nm and longer wavelength is investigated with the complete active space SCF (CASSCF) molecular orbital method. The stationary points on the ground- and excited-state potential energy surfaces are fully optimized at the CASSCF level with cc-pVDZ and cc-pVTZ basis sets. The potential energy profiles, governing HN<INF>3</INF> dissociation to NH + N<INF>2</INF> and H + N<INF>3</INF>, are characterized with the multireference MP2 (CASPT2) algorithm. The pathways leading to different products are determined on the basis of the obtained potential energy surfaces of dissociation and their crossing points. A comparison is made among the present and previous theoretical results and experimental findings. The present study provides an insight into the mechanism of the UV photodissociation of HN<INF>3</INF> at a wavelength range from 355 to 248 nm.