Electron–ion coincidence spectroscopy of a large organic molecule:photofragmentation of avobenzone after valence and core ionisation

The Avobenzone (AVOB) molecule is very photoactive and undergoes irreversible degradation upon irradiation. We studied its valence and core-level (C1s and O1s) photoionisation and subsequent photofragmentation with photoelectron spectroscopy and photoelectron–photoion–photoion coincidence (PEPIPICO) spectroscopy. AVOB is one of the largest molecules studied with this technique. The results show that the AVOB molecule dissociates into an extensive range of fragments by different pathways with little element or site-selectivity. The coincident maps were used to determine selected fragment separation sequences by analysing the slopes of patterns from ion pairs after the core ionisation. Charge delocalisation over the benzene rings and their relative stability favor fragmentation by cleavage of the bridge between them.