First observation of four-body breakup in electron recombination: C2D+5.
We report the first observation of four-body breakup in electron dissociative recombination of a molecular ion: C2D+5. In an ion storage ring experiment, the branching ratio for the process C2D+5 + e(-)-->C2D2 + D + D + D was determined to be 13%. This means that three covalent chemical bonds are broken as a result of the action of a single electron. This is the first time a four-body breakup of chemical bonds has been observed in a low-energy binary reaction.
Geppert
W
W
Department of Physics, AlbaNova, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
Ehlerding
A
A
Hellberg
F
F
Kalhori
S
S
Thomas
R D
RD
Novotny
O
O
Arnold
S T
ST
Miller
T M
TM
Viggiano
A A
AA
Larsson
M
M