The collisional deactivation of highly vibrationally excited pyrazine by a bath of carbon dioxide: Excitation of the infrared inactive (1000), (0200), and (0220) bath vibrational modes

Comparison of intermolecular energy transfer from vibrationally excited benzene in mixed nitrogen-benzene baths at 140 K and 300 K

Gas phase intermolecular energy transfer (IET) is a fundamental component of accurately explaining the behavior of gas phase systems in which the internal energy of particular modes of molecules is greatly out of equilibrium. In this work, chemical dynamics simulations of mixed benzene/N₂ baths with one highly vibrationally excited benzene molecule (Bz^*) are compared to experimental results at 140 K. Two mixed bath models are considered. In one, the bath consists of 190 N₂ and 10 Bz, whereas in the other bath, 396 N₂ and 4 Bz are utilized. The results are compared to results from 300 K simulations and experiments, revealing that Bz^*-Bz vibration-vibration IET efficiency increased at low temperatures consistent with longer lived "chattering" collisions at lower temperatures. In the simulations, at the Bz^* excitation energy of 150 kcal/mol, the averaged energy transferred per collision, ⟨ΔE_c⟩, for Bz^*-Bz collisions is found to be ∼2.4 times larger in 140 K than in 300 K bath, whereas this value is ∼1.3 times lower for Bz^*-N₂ collisions. The overall ⟨ΔE_c⟩, for all collisions, is found to be almost two times larger at 140 K compared to the one obtained from the 300 K bath. Such an enhancement of IET efficiency at 140 K is qualitatively consistent with the experimental observation. However, the possible reasons for not attaining a quantitative agreement are discussed. These results imply that the bath temperature and molecular composition as well as the magnitude of vibrational energy of a highly vibrationally excited molecule can shift the overall timescale of rethermalization.

Energy transfer in intermolecular collisions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with bath gases He and Ar

Classical trajectory simulations of intermolecular collisions were performed for a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons interacting with the bath gases helium and argon for bath gas temperature from 300 to 2500 K. The phase-space average energy transferred per deactivating collision, ⟨∆E_down⟩, was obtained. The Buckingham pairwise intermolecular potentials were validated against high-level quantum chemistry calculations and used in the simulations. The reactive force-field was used to describe intramolecular potentials. The dependence of ⟨∆E_down⟩ on initial vibrational energy is discussed. A canonical sampling method was compared with a microcanonical sampling method for selecting initial vibrational energy at high bath gas temperatures. Uncertainties introduced by the initial angular momentum distribution were identified. The dependence of the collisional energy transfer parameters on the type of bath gas and the molecular structure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was examined.

Mixed quantum-classical theory for the collisional energy transfer and the rovibrational energy flow: application to ozone stabilization

A mixed quantum-classical approach to the description of collisional energy transfer is proposed in which the vibrational motion of an energized molecule is treated quantum mechanically using wave packets, while the collisional motion of the molecule and quencher and the rotational motion of the molecule are treated using classical trajectories. This accounts rigorously for quantization of vibrational states, zero-point energy, scattering resonances, and permutation symmetry of identical atoms, while advantage is taken of the classical scattering regime. Energy is exchanged between vibrational, rotational, and translational degrees of freedom while the total energy is conserved. Application of this method to stabilization of the van der Waals states in ozone is presented. Examples of mixed quantum-classical trajectories are discussed, including an interesting example of supercollision. When combined with an efficient grid mapping procedure and the reduced dimensionality approximation, the method becomes very affordable computationally.

Energy transfer of highly vibrationally excited naphthalene. I. Translational collision energy dependence

Energy transfer between highly vibrationally excited naphthalene and Kr atom in a series of translational collision energies (108-847 cm(-1)) was studied separately using a crossed-beam apparatus along with time-sliced velocity map ion imaging techniques. Highly vibrationally excited naphthalene in the triplet state (vibrational energy: 16,194 cm(-1); electronic energy: 21,400 cm(-1)) was formed via the rapid intersystem crossing of naphthalene initially excited to the S(2) state by 266 nm photons. The collisional energy transfer probability density functions were measured directly from the scattering results of highly vibrationally excited naphthalene. At low collision energies a short-lived naphthalene-Kr complex was observed, resulting in small amounts of translational to vibrational-rotational (T-->VR) energy transfer. The complex formation probability decreases as the collision energy increases. T-->VR energy transfer was found to be quite efficient at all collision energies. In some instances, nearly all of the translational energy is transferred to vibrational-rotational energy. On the other hand, only a small fraction of vibrational energy is converted to translational energy. The translational energy gained from vibrational energy extend to large energy transfer (up to 3000 cm(-1)) as the collision energy increases to 847 cm(-1). Substantial amounts of large V-->T energy transfer were observed in the forward and backward directions at large collision energies.

Building transition probabilities for any condition using reduced cumulative energy transfer functions in H2O–H2O collisions

The energy transfer process between highly vibrationally excited H(2)O in thermal equilibrium with a gas bath of H(2)O at different internal energies and temperatures has been studied by classical trajectory calculations. The results were analyzed using a cumulative probability distribution Q(DeltaE) of the amount of energy transferred, obtained by direct count of the number of trajectories that transfer an amount of energy equal to or greater than a certain value DeltaE. Scaling Q(DeltaE) in terms of the mean down and up energies transferred for each group of trajectories results in a unique distribution. This fact and the use of detailed balance constrains were used to propose a methodology that make it possible to build the whole P(E('),E) for any condition by knowing DeltaE and a series of parameters that depend only on the system under study.

Energy transfer of highly vibrationally excited azulene. III. Collisions between azulene and argon

The energy transfer dynamics between highly vibrationally excited azulene molecules (37 582 cm(-1) internal energy) and Ar atoms in a series of collision energies (200, 492, 747, and 983 cm(-1)) was studied using a crossed-beam apparatus along with time-sliced velocity map ion imaging techniques. The angular resolved collisional energy-transfer probability distribution functions were measured directly from the scattering results of highly vibrationally excited azulene. Direct T-VR energy transfer was found to be quite efficient. In some instances, nearly all of the translational energy is transferred to vibrational/rotational energy. On the other hand, only a small fraction of vibrational energy is converted to translational energy (V-T). Significant amount of energy transfer from vibration to translation was observed at large collision energies in backward and sideway directions. The ratios of total cross sections between T-VR and V-T increases as collision energy increases. Formation of azulene-argon complexes during the collision was observed at low enough collision energies. The complexes make only minor contributions to the measured translational to vibrational/rotational (T-VR) energy transfer.

Energy transfer between azulene and krypton: Comparison between experiment and computation

Trajectory calculations of collisional energy transfer between excited azulene and Kr are reported, and the results are compared with recent crossed molecular beam experiments by Liu et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 123, 131102 (2005); 124, 054302 (2006)]. Average energy transfer quantities are reported and compared with results obtained before for azulene-Ar collisions. A collisional energy transfer probability density function P(E,E'), calculated at identical initial conditions as experiments, shows a peak at the up-collision branch of P(E,E') at low initial relative translational energy. This peak is absent at higher relative translational energies. There is a supercollision tail at the down-collision side of the probability distribution. Various intermolecular potentials are used and compared. There is broad agreement between experiment and computation, but there are some differences as well.

Energy transfer of highly vibrationally excited azulene: Collisions between azulene and krypton

The energy-transfer dynamics between highly vibrationally excited azulene molecules and Kr atoms in a series of collision energies (i.e., relative translational energies 170, 410, and 780 cm(-1)) was studied using a crossed-beam apparatus along with time-sliced velocity map ion imaging techniques. "Hot" azulene (4.66 eV internal energy) was formed via the rapid internal conversion of azulene initially excited to the S4 state by 266-nm photons. The shapes of the collisional energy-transfer probability density functions were measured directly from the scattering results of highly vibrationally excited or hot azulene. At low enough collision energies an azulene-Kr complex was observed, resulting from small amounts of translational to vibrational-rotational (T-VR) energy transfer. T-VR energy transfer was found to be quite efficient. In some instances, nearly all of the translational energy is transferred to vibrational-rotational energy. On the other hand, only a small fraction of vibrational energy is converted to translational energy (V-T). The shapes of V-T energy-transfer probability density functions were best fit by multiexponential functions. We find that substantial amounts of energy are transferred in the backward scattering direction due to supercollisions at high collision energies. The probability for supercollisions, defined arbitrarily as the scattered azulene in the region 160 degrees <theta<180 degrees and DeltaEd>2000 cm(-1) is 1% and 0.3% of all other collisions at collision energies 410 and 780 cm(-1), respectively.

Trajectory Study of Supercollision Relaxation in Highly Vibrationally Excited Pyrazine and CO2

Classical trajectory calculations were performed to simulate state-resolved energy transfer experiments of highly vibrationally excited pyrazine (E(vib) = 37,900 cm(-1)) and CO(2), which were conducted using a high-resolution transient infrared absorption spectrometer. The goal here is to use classical trajectories to simulate the supercollision energy transfer pathway wherein large amounts of energy are transferred in single collisions in order to compare with experimental results. In the trajectory calculations, Newton's laws of motion are used for the molecular motion, isolated molecules are treated as collections of harmonic oscillators, and intermolecular potentials are formed by pairwise Lennard-Jones potentials. The calculations qualitatively reproduce the observed energy partitioning in the scattered CO(2) molecules and show that the relative partitioning between bath rotation and translation is dependent on the moment of inertia of the bath molecule. The simulations show that the low-frequency modes of the vibrationally excited pyrazine contribute most to the strong collisions. The majority of collisions lead to small DeltaE values and primarily involve single encounters between the energy donor and acceptor. The large DeltaE exchanges result from both single impulsive encounters and chattering collisions that involve multiple encounters.

Vibrational energy relaxation of azulene studied by the transient grating method. I. Supercritical fluids

The vibrational energy dissipation process of the ground-state azulene in supercritical xenon, carbon dioxide, and ethane has been studied by the transient grating spectroscopy. In this method, azulene in these fluids was photoexcited by two counterpropagating subpicosecond laser pulses at 570 nm, which created a sinusoidal pattern of vibrationally hot ground-state azulene inside the fluids. The photoacoustic signal produced by the temperature rise of the solvent due to the vibrational energy relaxation of azulene was monitored by the diffraction of a probe pulse. The temperature-rise time constants of the solvents were determined at 383 and 298 K from 0.7 to 2.4 in rho(r), where rho(r) is the reduced density by the critical density of the fluids, by the fitting of the acoustic signal based on a theoretical model equation. In xenon, the temperature-rise time constant was almost similar to the vibrational energy-relaxation time constant of the photoexcited solute determined by the transient absorption measurement [D. Schwarzer, J. Troe, M. Votsmeier, and M. Zerezke, J. Chem. Phys. 105, 3121 (1996)] at the same reduced density irrespective of the solvent temperature. On the other hand, the temperature-rise time constants in ethane were larger than the vibrational energy-relaxation time constants by a factor of about 2. In carbon dioxide, the difference was small. From these results, the larger time constants of the solvent temperature rise than those of the vibrational energy relaxation in ethane and carbon dioxide were interpreted in terms of the vibrational-vibrational (V-V) energy transfer between azulene and solvent molecules and the vibrational-translational (V-T) energy transfer between solvent molecules. The contribution of the V-V energy transfer process against the V-T energy transfer process has been discussed.

Rovibrational Energy Transfer in the 4νCH Manifold of Acetylene Viewed by IR−UV Double Resonance Spectroscopy. 2. Perturbed States with J = 17 and 18

Collision-induced state-to-state molecular energy transfer between rovibrational states in the 12,700 cm(-1) 4nu(CH) manifold of the electronic ground state X of acetylene (C(2)H(2)) is monitored by time-resolved infrared-ultraviolet double resonance (IR-UV DR) spectroscopy. Rotational J-states associated with the (nu(1) + 3nu(3)) or (1 0 3 0 0)(0) vibrational combination level, initially prepared by an IR pulse, are probed at approximately 299, approximately 296, or approximately 323 nm with UV laser-induced fluorescence via the Alpha electronic state. The rovibrational J-states of interest belong to a congested manifold that is affected by anharmonic, l-resonance, and Coriolis couplings, yielding complex intramolecular dynamics. Consequently, collision-induced rovibrational satellites observed by IR-UV DR comprise not only regular even-DeltaJ features but also supposedly forbidden odd-DeltaJ features. A preceding paper (J. Phys. Chem. A 2003, 107, 10759) focused on low-J-value rovibrational levels of the 4nu(CH) manifold (particularly those with J = 0 and J = 1) whereas this paper examines locally perturbed states at higher values of J (particularly J = 17 and 18, which display anomalous doublet structure in IR-absorption spectra). Three complementary forms of IR-UV DR experiments (IR-scanned, UV-scanned, and kinetic) are used to address the extent to which intramolecular perturbations influence the efficiency of J-resolved collision-induced energy transfer with both even and odd DeltaJ.

Energy Transfer between Polyatomic Molecules. 1. Gateway Modes, Energy Transfer Quantities and Energy Transfer Probability Density Functions in Benzene−Benzene and Ar−Benzene Collisions

We report collisional energy transfer, CET, quantities for polyatomic-polyatomic collisions and use excited benzene collisions with cold benzene bath, B-B, as our sample system and compare our results with the CET of excited benzene with Ar bath. We find that the gateway mode for both systems is the out-of-plane modes and that in B-B CET, vibration to vibration, V-V, is the dominant channel. Rotations play a mechanistic role in the CET but the net rotational energy transfer is small compared to V-V. The shape of the down side of the energy transfer probability density function, P(E,E'), is convex for B-B collisions and it becomes less so as the temperature increases. In Ar-B collisions, P(E,E') is concave and it becomes less so as the temperature decreases. We report average vibrational, rotational, and translational energy transferred, <DeltaE>, as function of temperature for various initial conditions.

Vibrational energy relaxation of naphthalene in the S(1) state in various gases

Time-resolved fluorescence spectra of naphthalene in the S(1) state have been measured in various gases below 10(2) kPa. The band shape of the fluorescence changed in an earlier time region after the photoexcitation when an excess energy (3300 cm(-1)) above the 0-0 transition energy was given. The excitation energy dependence of the fluorescence band shape of an isolated naphthalene molecule was measured separately, and the time dependence of the fluorescence band shape in gases was found to be due to the vibrational energy relaxation in the S(1) state. We have succeeded in determining the transient excess vibrational energy by comparing the time-resolved fluorescence band shape with the excitation energy dependence of the fluorescence band shape. The excess vibrational energy decayed almost exponentially. From the slope of the decay rate against the buffer gas pressure, we have determined the collisional decay rate of the excess vibrational energy in various gases. The dependence of the vibrational energy relaxation rate on the buffer gas species was similar to the case of azulene. The comparisons with the results in the low temperature argon and the energy relaxation rate in the S(0) state in nitrogen were also discussed.

Temperature Dependence of Collisional Deactivation of Highly Vibrationally Excited Biphenylene

Collisional energy transfer between highly vibrationally excited biphenylene and a variety of mono- and polyatomic bath gases has been measured at temperatures between 333 and 523 K. Biphenylene molecules were initially prepared with an additional vibrational energy of 28490 cm

Enhanced reactivity of highly vibrationally excited molecules on metal surfaces

The chemical dynamics of highly vibrationally excited molecules have been studied by measuring the quantum state-resolved scattering probabilities of nitric oxide (NO) molecules on clean and oxygen-covered copper (111) surfaces, where the incident NO was prepared in single quantum states with vibrational energies of as much as 300 kilojoules per mole. The dependence of vibrationally elastic and inelastic scattering on oxygen coverage strongly suggests that highly excited NO (v = 13 and 15) reacts on clean copper (111) with a probability of 0.87 +/- 0.05, more than three orders of magnitude greater than the reaction probability of ground-state NO. Vibrational promotion of surface chemistry on metals (up to near-unit reaction probability) is possible despite the expected efficient relaxation of vibrational energy at metal surfaces.