title: Dissociation dynamics of sequential ionic reactions: heats of formation of tri-, di-, and monoethylphosphine.
abstract: The sequential ethene (C2H4) loss channels of energy-selected ethylphosphine ions have been studied using threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) spectroscopy in which ion time-of-flight (TOF) distributions are recorded as a function of the photon energy. The ion TOF distributions and breakdown diagrams have been modeled in terms of the statistical RRKM theory for unimolecular reactions, providing 0 K dissociation onsets, E0, for the ethene loss channels. Three RRKM curves were used to model the five measurements, since two of the reactions differ only by the internal energy of the parent ion. This series of dissociations provides a detailed check of the calculation of the product energy distribution for sequential reactions. From the determined E0's, the heats of formation of several ethylphosphine neutrals and ions have been determined: Delta(f)H degrees 298K[P(C(2)H(5))3] = -152.7 +/- 2.8 kJ/mol, Delta(f)H degrees 298K[P(C(2)H(5))3+] = 571.6 +/- 4.0 kJ/mol, Delta(f)H degrees 298K[HP(C(2)H(5))2] = -89.6 +/- 2.1 kJ/mol, Delta(f)H degrees 298K[HP(C(2)H(5))2+] = 669.9 +/- 2.5 kJ/mol, Delta(f)H degrees 298K[H(2)PC(2)H(5)] = -36.5 +/- 1.5 kJ/mol, Delta(f)H degrees 298K[H(2)PC(2)H(5)+] = 784.0 +/- 1.9 kJ/mol. These values have been supported by G2 and G3 calculations using isodesmic reactions. Coupled cluster calculations have been used to show that the C2H4 loss channel, which involves a hydrogen transfer step, proceeds without a reverse energy barrier.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599-3290, USA.
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kercher
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gengeliczki
authors.forename: Bálint
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sztáray
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baer