Gas phase FeO(+) can convert methane to methanol under thermal conditions. Two key intermediates of this reaction are the [HO-Fe-CH(3)](+) insertion intermediate and Fe(+)(CH(3)OH) exit channel complex. These intermediates are selectively formed by reaction of laser-ablated Fe(+) with organic precursors under specific source conditions and are cooled in a supersonic expansion. Vibrational spectra of the sextet and quartet states of the intermediates in the O-H and C-H stretching regions are measured by infrared multiple photon dissociation of Fe(+)(CH(3)OH) and [HO-Fe-CH(3)](+) and by monitoring argon atom loss following irradiation of Fe(+)(CH(3)OH)(Ar) and [HO-Fe-CH(3)](+)(Ar)(n) (n = 1, 2). Analysis of the experimental results is aided by comparison with hybrid density functional theory computed frequencies. Also, an improved potential energy surface for the FeO(+) + CH(4) reaction is developed based on CCSD(T) and CBS-QB3 calculations for the reactants, intermediates, transition states, and products.

The recombination rate constant for the NH(2)(X(2)B(1)) + NH(2)(X(2)B(1)) → N(2)H(4)(X(1)A(1)) reaction in He, Ne, Ar, and N(2) was measured over the pressure range 1-20 Torr at a temperature of 296 K. The NH(2) radical was produced by 193 nm laser photolysis of NH(3) dilute in the third-body gas. The production of NH(2) and the loss of NH(3) were monitored by high-resolution continuous-wave absorption spectroscopy: NH(2) on the (1)2(21) ← (1)3(31) rotational transition of the (0,7,0)A(2)A(1) ← (0,0,0) X(2)B(1) vibronic band and NH(3) on either inversion doublet of the (q)Q(3)(3) rotational transition of the ν(1) fundamental. Both species were detected simultaneously following the photolysis laser pulse. The broader Doppler width of the NH(2) spectral transition allowed temporal concentration measurements to be extended up to 20 Torr before pressure broadening effects became significant. Fall-off behavior was identified and the bimolecular rate constants for each collision partner were fit to a simple Troe form defined by the parameters, k(0), k(inf), and F(cent). This work is the first part of a two part series in which part 2 will discuss the measurements with more efficient energy transfer collision partners CH(4), C(2)H(6), CO(2), CF(4), and SF(6). The pressure range was too limited to extract any new information on k(inf), and k(inf) was taken from the theoretical calculations of Klippenstein et al. (J. Phys. Chem A 2009, 113, 10241) as k(inf) = 7.9 × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) at 296 K. The individual Troe parameters were: He, k(0) = 2.8 × 10(-29) and F(cent) = 0.47; Ne, k(0) = 2.7 × 10(-29) and F(cent) = 0.34; Ar, k(0) = 4.4 × 10(-29) and F(cent) = 0.41; N(2), k(0) = 5.7 × 10(-29) and F(cent) = 0.61, with units cm(6) molecule(-2) s(-1) for k(0). In the case of N(2) as the third body, it was possible to measure the recombination rate constant for the NH(2) + H reaction near 20 Torr total pressure. The pure three-body recombination rate constant was (2.3 ± 0.55) × 10(-30) cm(6) molecule(-2) s(-1), where the uncertainty is the total experimental uncertainty including systematic errors at the 2σ level of confidence.

The electronic spectra of Co(+)(H(2)O), Co(+)(HOD), and Co(+)(D(2)O) have been measured from 13,500 to 18,400 cm(-1) using photodissociation spectroscopy. Transitions to four excited electronic states with vibrational and partially resolved rotational structure are observed. Each electronic transition has an extended progression in the metal-ligand stretch, v(3), and the absolute vibrational quantum numbering is assigned by comparing isotopic shifts between Co(+)(H(2)(16)O) and Co(+)(H(2)(18)O). For the low-lying excited electronic states, the first observed transition is to v(3)' = 1. This allows the Co(+)-(H(2)O) binding energy to be determined as D(0)(0 K)(Co(+)-H(2)O) = 13730 ± 90 cm(-1) (164.2 ± 1.1 kJ/mol). The photodissociation spectrum shows a well-resolved K(a) band structure due to rotation about the Co-O axis. This permits determination of the spin rotation constants ε(aa)" = -6 cm(-1) and ε(aa)' = 4 cm(-1). However, the K(a) rotational structure depends on v(3)'. These perturbations in the spectrum make the rotational constants unreliable. From the nuclear spin statistics of the rotational structure, the ground state is assigned as (3)B(1). The electronic transitions observed are from the Co(+)(H(2)O) ground state, which correlates to the cobalt ion's (3)F, 3d(8) ground state, to excited states which correlate to the (3)F, 3d(7)4s and (3)P, 3d(8) excited states of Co(+). These excited states of Co(+) interact less strongly with water than the ground state. As a result, the excited states are less tightly bound and have longer metal-ligand bonds. Calculations at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level also predict that binding to Co(+) increases the H-O-H angle in water from 104.1° to 106.8°, as the metal removes electron density from the oxygen lone pairs. The O-H stretching frequencies of the ground electronic state of Co(+)(H(2)O) and Co(+)(HOD) have been measured by combining IR excitation with visible photodissociation in a double resonance experiment. In Co(+)(H(2)O) the O-H symmetric stretch is ν(1)" = 3609.7 ± 1 cm(-1). The antisymmetric stretch is ν(5)" = 3679.5 ± 2 cm(-1). These values are 47 and 76 cm(-1), respectively, lower than those in bare H(2)O. In Co(+)(HOD) the O-H stretch is observed at 3650 cm(-1), a red shift of 57 cm(-1) relative to bare HOD.

The recombination rate constants for the reactions NH2 + NH2 → N2H4 (reaction k1b) and NH2 + H → NH3 (reaction k2b) with N2 as a third-body have been measured as a function of temperature and pressure. The temperature range was from 292 to 533 K and the pressure range from a few Torr up to 300-400 Torr, well within the pressure falloff region. The NH2 radical was produced by 193 nm pulsed-laser photolysis of NH3 in a temperature controlled flow chamber. High-resolution time-resolved laser absorption spectroscopy was used to follow the temporal concentration profiles of both NH2 and NH3, simultaneously. The NH2 radical was monitored at 14800.65 cm(-1) using the (1)231 (0,7,0)Ã(2)A1 ← (1)331 (0,0,0)X̃(2)B1 ro-vibronic transition, and NH3 monitored at 3336.39 cm(-1) on the (q)Q3(3)s (1,0,0,0) ← (0,0,0,0) ro-vibrational transition. The necessary collisional broadening parameters for each molecule were measured in separate experiments. The pressure and temperature dependence of k1b can be represented by the Troe parameters: k0, the low-pressure three-body recombination rate constant, k0(T) = (1.14 ± 0.59) × 10(-19)T(-(3.41±0.28)) cm(6) molecule(-2) s(-1), and Fcent, the pressure broadening parameter, Fcent = 0.15 ± 0.12, independent of temperature. The data could not be fit by three-independent parameters, and the high-pressure limiting rate constant k∞(T) = 9.33 × 10(-10)T(-0.414) e(33/T) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) was taken from the high-quality theoretical calculations of Klippenstein et al. (J. Phys. Chem A 2009, 113, 10241). The pressure and temperature dependence of k2b, can be represented by the Troe parameters: k0(T) = (9.95 ± 0.58) × 10(-26)T((-1.76±0.092)) cm(6) molecule(-2) s(-1), Fcent = 0.5 ± 0.2, k∞ = 2.6 × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). Again, the data could not be fit with three independent parameters, and k2b∞ was chosen to be 2.6 × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) and fixed in the analysis.

Electronic spectra of gas-phase V+(OCO) are measured in the near-infrared from 6050 to 7420 cm(-1) and in the visible from 15,500 to 16,560 cm(-1), using photofragment spectroscopy. The near-IR band is complex, with a 107 cm(-1) progression in the metal-ligand stretch. The visible band shows clearly resolved vibrational progressions in the metal-ligand stretch and rock, and in the OCO bend, as observed by Brucat and co-workers. A vibrational hot band gives the metal-ligand stretch frequency in the ground electronic state nu3'' = 210 cm(-1). The OCO antisymmetric stretch frequency in the ground electronic state (nu1'') is measured by using vibrationally mediated photodissociation. An IR laser vibrationally excites ions to nu1'' = 1. Vibrationally excited ions selectively dissociate following absorption of a second, visible photon at the nu1' = 1 <-- nu1'' = 1 transition. Rotational structure in the resulting vibrational action spectrum confirms that V+(OCO) is linear and gives nu1'' = 2392.0 cm(-1). The OCO antisymmetric stretch frequency in the excited electronic state is nu1' = 2368 cm(-1). Both show a blue shift from the value in free CO2, due to interaction with the metal. Larger blue shifts observed for complexes with fewer ligands agree with trends seen for larger V+(OCO)n clusters.