title: Photodissociation dynamics of vinyl fluoride (CH2CHF) at 157 and 193 nm: Distributions of kinetic energy and branching ratios.
abstract: Using photofragment translational spectroscopy and tunable vacuum-ultraviolet ionization, we measured the time-of-flight spectra of fragments upon photodissociation of vinyl fluoride (CH2CHF) at 157 and 193 nm. Four primary dissociation pathways--elimination of atomic F, atomic H, molecular HF, and molecular H2--are identified at 157 nm. Dissociation to C2H3 + F is first observed in the present work. Decomposition of internally hot C2H3 and C2H2F occurs spontaneously. The barrier heights of CH2CH --> CHCH + H and cis-CHCHF --> CHCH + F are evaluated to be 40+/-2 and 44+/-2 kcal mol(-1), respectively. The photoionization yield spectra indicate that the C2H3 and C2H2F radicals have ionization energies of 8.4+/-0.1 and 8.8+/-0.1 eV, respectively. Universal detection of photoproducts allowed us to determine the total branching ratios, distributions of kinetic energy, average kinetic energies, and fractions of translational energy release for all dissociation pathways of vinyl fluoride. In contrast, on optical excitation at 193 nm the C2H2 + HF channel dominates whereas the C2H3 + F channel is inactive. This reaction C2H3F --> C2H2 + HF occurs on the ground surface of potential energy after excitation at both wavelengths of 193 and 157 nm, indicating that internal conversion from the photoexcited state to the electronic ground state of vinyl fluoride is efficient. We computed the electronic energies of products and the ionization energies of fluorovinyl radicals.
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), 101 Hsin-Ann Road, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan. shlee@nsrrc.org.tw
authors.forename: Shih-Huang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wei-Kan
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chanchal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri
authors.forename: Wen-Jian
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yuan T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Lee