| 1. |
- Bull, James N., et al.
(författare)
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Autoionization from the plasmon resonance in isolated 1-cyanonaphthalene
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Physics. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 158:24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have widely been conjectured to be ubiquitous in space, as supported by the recent discovery of two isomers of cyanonaphthalene, indene, and 2-cyanoindene in the Taurus molecular cloud-1 using radioastronomy. Here, the photoionization dynamics of 1-cyanonaphthalene (1-CNN) are investigated using synchrotron radiation over the hν = 9.0–19.5 eV range, revealing that prompt autoionization from the plasmon resonance dominates the photophysics for hν = 11.5–16.0 eV. Minimal photo-induced dissociation, whether originating from an excited state impulsive bond rupture or through internal conversion followed by a statistical bond cleavage process, occurs over the microsecond timescale (as limited by the experimental setup). The direct photoionization cross section and photoelectron angular distributions are simulated using an ezDyson model combining Dyson orbitals with Coulomb wave photoejection. When considering these data in conjunction with recent radiative cooling measurements on 1-CNN+, which showed that cations formed with up to 5 eV of internal energy efficiently stabilize through recurrent fluorescence, we conclude that the organic backbone of 1-CNN is resilient to photodestruction by VUV and soft XUV radiation. These dynamics may prove to be a common feature for the survival of small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in space, provided that the cations have a suitable electronic structure to support recurrent fluorescence.
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| 2. |
- Lee, Jason W. L., et al.
(författare)
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Cooling dynamics of energized naphthalene and azulene radical cations
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical Physics. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 158:17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Naphthalene and azulene are isomeric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and are topical in the context of astrochemistry due to the recent discovery of substituted naphthalenes in the Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 (TMC-1). Here, the thermal- and photo-induced isomerization, dissociation, and radiative cooling dynamics of energized (vibrationally hot) naphthalene (Np+) and azulene (Az(+)) radical cations, occurring over the microsecond to seconds timescale, are investigated using a cryogenic electrostatic ion storage ring, affording molecular cloud in a box conditions. Measurement of the cooling dynamics and kinetic energy release distributions for neutrals formed through dissociation, until several seconds after hot ion formation, are consistent with the establishment of a rapid (sub-microsecond) Np+ reversible arrow Az(+) quasi-equilibrium. Consequently, dissociation by C2H2-elimination proceeds predominantly through common Az(+) decomposition pathways. Simulation of the isomerization, dissociation, recurrent fluorescence, and infrared cooling dynamics using a coupled master equation combined with high-level potential energy surface calculations [CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ], reproduce the trends in the measurements. The data show that radiative cooling via recurrent fluorescence, predominately through the Np+ D-0 <- D-2 transition, efficiently quenches dissociation for vibrational energies up to approximate to 1 eV above dissociation thresholds. Our measurements support the suggestion that small cations, such as naphthalene, may be more abundant in space than previously thought. The strategy presented in this work could be extended to fingerprint the cooling dynamics of other PAH ions for which isomerization is predicted to precede dissociation.
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| 3. |
- Navarro Navarrete, José E., 1988-, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental radiative cooling rates of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon cation
- 2023
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Ingår i: Faraday discussions. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1359-6640 .- 1364-5498. ; 245, s. 352-367
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several small Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified recently in the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC-1) using radio telescope observations. Reproducing the observed abundances of these molecules has been a challenge for astrochemical models. Rapid radiative cooling of PAHs by Recurrent Fluorescence (RF), the emission of optical photons from thermally populated electronically excited states, has been shown to efficiently stabilize small PAHs following ionization, augmenting their resilience in astronomical environments and helping to rationalize their observed high abundances. Here, we use a novel method to experimentally determine the radiative cooling rate of the cation of 1-cyanonaphthalene (C10H7CN, 1-CNN), the neutral species of which has been identified in TMC-1. Laser-induced dissociation rates and kinetic energy release distributions of 1-CNN cations isolated in a cryogenic electrostatic ion-beam storage ring are analysed to track the time evolution of the vibrational energy distribution of the initially hot ion ensemble as it cools. The measured cooling rate is in good agreement with the previously calculated RF rate coefficient. Improved measurements and models of the RF mechanism are needed to interpret astronomical observations and refine predictions of the stabilities of interstellar PAHs.
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| 4. |
- Stockett, Mark H., 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Efficient stabilization of cyanonaphthalene by fast radiative cooling and implications for the resilience of small PAHs in interstellar clouds
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- After decades of searching, astronomers have recently identified specific Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in space. Remarkably, the observed abundance of cyanonaphthalene (CNN, C10H7CN) in the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC-1) is six orders of magnitude higher than expected from astrophysical modeling. Here, we report unimolecular dissociation and radiative cooling rate coefficients of the 1-CNN isomer in its cationic form. These results are based on measurements of the time-dependent neutral product emission rate and kinetic energy release distributions produced from an ensemble of internally excited 1-CNN+ studied in an environment similar to that in interstellar clouds. We find that Recurrent Fluorescence - radiative relaxation via thermally populated electronic excited states - efficiently stabilizes 1-CNN+, owing to a large enhancement of the electronic transition probability by vibronic coupling. Our results help explain the anomalous abundance of CNN in TMC-1 and challenge the widely accepted picture of rapid destruction of small PAHs in space.
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