Ultraslow isomerization in photoexcited gas-phase carbon cluster [Formula: see text]

Isomerization and carbon chemistry in the gas phase are key processes in many scientific studies. Here we report on the isomerization process from linear [Formula: see text] to its monocyclic isomer. [Formula: see text] ions were trapped in an electrostatic ion beam trap and then excited with a lase...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2018-03, Vol.9 (1), p.912-9, Article 912
Main Authors: Saha, K, Chandrasekaran, V, Heber, O, Iron, M A, Rappaport, M L, Zajfman, D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conformation
Energy measurement
Interstellar chemistry
Interstellar gas
Interstellar matter
Isomerization
Laser beams
Lasers
Mathematical models
Photoexcitation
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Summary:Isomerization and carbon chemistry in the gas phase are key processes in many scientific studies. Here we report on the isomerization process from linear [Formula: see text] to its monocyclic isomer. [Formula: see text] ions were trapped in an electrostatic ion beam trap and then excited with a laser pulse of precise energy. The neutral products formed upon photoexcitation were measured as a function of time after the laser pulse. It was found using a statistical model that, although the system is excited above its isomerization barrier energy, the actual isomerization from linear to monocyclic conformation takes place on a very long time scale of up to hundreds of microseconds. This finding may indicate a general phenomenon that can affect the interstellar medium chemistry of large molecule formation as well as other gas phase processes.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-018-03197-w