title: On the interaction of electrons with betaine zwitterions.
abstract: Betaine is a permanent zwitterion. The molecular betaine anion has been generated in a hybrid, infrared desorption-electron photoemission source and its photoelectron spectrum recorded. The photoelectron spectrum of the betaine anion is characteristic of a dipole bound anion, and its vertical detachment energy was measured to be 0.29+/-0.03 eV. Calculations by Rak, Skurski, and Gutowski [J. Chem. Phys. 114, 10673 (2001)] had found the betaine anion to be a dipole bound anion with a vertical detachment energy of 0.28 eV. We also measured the vertical detachment energy of deprotonated betaine to be approximately 1.9 eV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
authors.forename: Weijun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Shoujun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Dunja
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Radisic
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stokes
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Kit H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Bowen