title: Kinetics following addition of sulfur fluorides to a weakly ionized plasma from 300 to 500 K: rate constants and product determinations for ion-ion mutual neutralization and thermal electron attachment to SF5, SF3, and SF2.
abstract: Rate constants for several processes including electron attachment to SF(2), SF(3), and SF(5) and individual product channels of ion-ion mutual neutralization between SF(6)(-), SF(5)(-), and SF(4)(-) with Ar(+) were determined by variable electron and neutral density attachment mass spectrometry. The experiments were conducted with a series of related neutral precursors (SF(6), SF(4), SF(5)Cl, SF(5)C(6)H(5), and SF(3)C(6)F(5)) over a temperature range of 300-500 K. Mutual neutralization rate constants for SF(6)(-), SF(5)(-), and SF(4)(-) with Ar(+) are reported with uncertainties of 10-25% and show temperature dependencies in agreement with the theoretical value of T(-0.5). Product branching in the mutual neutralizations is temperature independent and dependent on the electron binding energy of the anion. A larger fraction of product neutrals from the SF(6)(-) mutual neutralization (0.9 ± 0.1) are dissociated than in the SF(5)(-) mutual neutralization (0.65 ± 0.2), with the SF(4)(-) (0.7 ± 0.3) likely lying in between. Electron attachment to SF(5) (k = 2.0 × 10(-8) ±(1)(2) cm(3) s(-1) at 300 K) and SF(3) (4 ± 3 × 10(-9) cm(3) s(-1) at 300 K) show little temperature dependence. Rate constants of electron attachment to closed-shell SF(n) species decrease as the complexity of the neutral decreases.
authors.affiliation: Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts 01731-3010, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Shuman
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Nilay
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hazari
authors.forename: Eddie D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Luzik
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Viggiano