Energy redistribution, including the many phonon-assisted and electronically assisted energy-exchange processes at a gas-metal interface, can hamper vibrationally mediated selectivity in chemical reactions. We establish that these limitations do not prevent bond-selective control of a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction. State-resolved gas-surface scattering measurements show that the nu1 C-H stretch vibration in trideuteromethane (CHD3) selectively activates C-H bond cleavage on a Ni(111) surface. Isotope-resolved detection reveals a CD3:CHD2 product ratio > 30:1, which contrasts with the 1:3 ratio for an isoenergetic ensemble of CHD3 whose vibrations are statistically populated. Recent studies of vibrational energy redistribution in the gas and condensed phases suggest that other gas-surface reactions with similar vibrational energy flow dynamics might also be candidates for such bond-selective control.

Specific rate constants k(E) of the dissociation of the halobenzene ions C6H5X+ --> C6H5+ + X* (X* = Cl, Br, and I) were measured over a range of 10(3)-10(7) s-1 by threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) spectroscopy. The experimental data were analyzed by various statistical unimolecular rate theories in order to derive the threshold energies E0. Although rigid activated complex RRKM theory fits the data in the experimentally measured energy range, it significantly underestimates E0 for chloro- and bromobenzene. Phase space theory (PST) does not fit the experimentally measured rates. A parametrized version of the variational transition state theory (VTST) as well as a simplified version of the statistical adiabatic channel model (SSACM) incorporating an energy dependent rigidity factor provide excellent fits to the experimental data and predict the correct dissociation energies. Although both approaches have just two adjustable parameters, one of which is E0, SSACM is effective and particularly simple to apply.

The dissociative photoionization onset energy of the CH(3)I --> CH(3)(+) + I reaction was studied at the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS) using a new imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence (iPEPICO) apparatus operating with a photon resolution of 2 meV and a threshold electron kinetic energy resolution of about 1 meV. Three previous attempts at establishing this value accurately, namely a pulsed field ionization (PFI)-PEPICO measurement, ab initio calculations and a mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) experiment, in which the onset energy was bracketed by state-selected excitation to vibrationally excited (2)A(1) A states of the parent ion, have yielded contradictory results. It is shown that dimers and adducts formed in the supersonic molecular beam affected the PFI-PEPICO onset energy. The room temperature iPEPICO experiment yields an accurate 0 K onset of 12.248 +/- 0.003 eV, from which we derive a Delta(f)H(o)(298 K)(CH(3)I) = 15.23 +/- 0.3 kJ mol(-1), and the C-I bond energy in CH(3)I is 232.4 +/- 0.4 kJ mol(-1). The room temperature breakdown diagram shows a fine structure that corresponds to the threshold photoelectron spectrum (TPES) of the A state. Low internal energy neutrals seem to be preferentially ionized in the A state when compared with the X state, and A state peaks in the TPES are Stark-shifted as a function of the DC field, whereas the dissociative photoionization of X state ions is not affected. This suggests that there are different competing mechanisms at play to produce ions in the A state vs. ions in the X state. The competition between field ionization and autoionization in CH(3)I is compared with that in Ar, N(2) and in the H-atom loss energy region in CH(4)(+). The binding energies of the neutral and ionic Ar-CH(3)I clusters were found to be 26 and 66 meV, respectively.

Direct dynamics simulations and selected ion flow tube (SIFT) experiments were performed to study the kinetics and dynamics of the OH(-) + CH3I reaction versus temperature. This work complements previous direct dynamics simulation and molecular beam ion imaging experiments of this reaction versus reaction collision energy (Xie et al. J. Phys. Chem. A 2013, 117, 7162). The simulations and experiments are in quite good agreement. Both identify the SN2, OH(-) + CH3I → CH3OH + I(-), and proton transfer, OH(-) + CH3I → CH2I(-) + H2O, reactions as having nearly equal importance. In the experiments, the SN2 pathway constitutes 0.64 ± 0.05, 0.56 ± 0.05, 0.51 ± 0.05, and 0.46 ± 0.05 of the total reaction at 210, 300, 400, and 500 K, respectively. For the simulations this fraction is 0.56 ± 0.06, 0.55 ± 0.04, and 0.50 ± 0.05 at 300, 400, and 500 K, respectively. The experimental total reaction rate constant is (2.3 ± 0.6) × 10(-9), (1.7 ± 0.4) × 10(-9), (1.9 ± 0.5) × 10(-9), and (1.8 ± 0.5) × 10(-9) cm(3) s(-1) at 210, 300, 400, and 500 K, respectively, which is approximately 25% smaller than the collision capture value. The simulation values for this rate constant are (1.7 ± 0.2) × 10(-9), (1.8 ± 0.1) × 10(-9), and (1.6 ± 0.1) × 10(-9) cm(3)s(-1) at 300, 400, and 500 K. From the simulations, direct rebound and stripping mechanisms as well as multiple indirect mechanisms are identified as the atomic-level reaction mechanisms for both the SN2 and proton-transfer pathways. For the SN2 reaction the direct and indirect mechanisms have nearly equal probabilities; the direct mechanisms are slightly more probable, and direct rebound is more important than direct stripping. For the proton-transfer pathway the indirect mechanisms are more important than the direct mechanisms, and stripping is significantly more important than rebound for the latter. Calculations were performed with the OH(-) quantum number J equal to 0, 3, and 6 to investigate the effect of OH(-) rotational excitation on the OH(-) + CH3I reaction dynamics. The overall reaction probability and the probabilities for the SN2 and proton-transfer pathways have little dependence on J. Possible effects on the atomistic mechanisms were investigated for the SN2 pathway and the probability of the direct rebound mechanism increased with J. However, the other atomistic mechanisms were not appreciably affected by J.

CONTENTS 1. Introduction 4542 1.1. Historical Overview and Goals 4542 1.2. Background Basics of the Atmosphere 4543 2. The Exosphere 4545 3. Thermosphere 4546 3.1. Composition and Positive Ion Chemistry 4546 3.2. Ion−Molecule Reactions 4547 3.2.1. O 2 + Reactions 4547 3.2.2. O + Reactions 4548 3.2.3. N + Reactions 4550 3.2.4. N 2 + Reactions 4550 3.3. Airglow and Dissociative Recombination 4551 4. Mesosphere 4552 4.1. Positive Ion Composition and Chemistry 4552 4.2. Negative Ion Composition and Chemistry 4554 4.3. Mutual Neutralization 4555 4.4. Meteoric Smoke 4555 5. Stratosphere and Troposphere 4556 5.1. Acid−Base Chemistry 4556 5.2. Ion-Induced (Mediated) Nucleation 4558 6. Active Chemical Release Experiments 4559 6.1. Background and Historical Perspective 4559 6.2. Atmospheric Tracer Experiments 4559 6.3. Plasma Enhancement Releases − Samarium Chemi-ionization 4560 6.4. Plasma Depletion Experiments − Ionospheric Holes 4561 6.5. Plasma Depletion Experiments − Electron Holes 4562 7. Summary and Conclusions 4564 Author Information 4565 Corresponding Author 4565 Notes 4565 Biographies 4565 Acknowledgments 4566 References 4566

The exothermicity of the chemi-ionization reaction Sm + O → SmO(+) + e(-) has been re-evaluated through the combination of several experimental methods. The thermal reactivity (300-650 K) of Sm(+) and SmO(+) with a range of species measured using a selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometer apparatus is reported and provides limits for the bond strength of SmO(+), 5.661 eV ≤ D0(Sm(+)-O) ≤ 6.500 eV. A more precise value is measured to be 5.725 ± 0.07 eV, bracketed by the observed reactivity of Sm(+) and SmO(+) with several species using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer (GIBMS). Combined with the established Sm ionization energy (IE), this value indicates an exothermicity of the title reaction of 0.08 ± 0.07 eV, ∼0.2 eV smaller than previous determinations. In addition, the ionization energy of SmO has been measured by resonantly enhanced two-photon ionization and pulsed-field ionization zero kinetic energy photoelectron spectroscopy to be 5.7427 ± 0.0006 eV, significantly higher than the literature value. Combined with literature bond energies of SmO, this value indicates an exothermicity of the title reaction of 0.14 ± 0.17 eV, independent from and in agreement with the GIBMS result presented here. The evaluated thermochemistry also suggests that D0(SmO) = 5.83 ± 0.07 eV, consistent with but more precise than the literature values. Implications of these results for interpretation of chemical release experiments in the thermosphere are discussed.

The reactions of FeO + with H 2 , D 2 , and HD were studied in detail from 170 to 670 K by employing a variable temperature selected ion flow tube apparatus. High level electronic structure calculations were performed and compared to previous theoretical treatments. Statistical modeling of the temperature and isotope dependent rate constants was found to reproduce all data, suggesting the reaction could be well explained by efficient crossing from the sextet to quartet surface, with a rigid near thermoneutral barrier accounting for both the inefficiency and strong negative temperature dependence of the reactions over the measured range of thermal energies. The modeling equally well reproduced earlier guided ion beam results up to translational temperatures of about 4000 K.

The temperature dependences of the rate constants and product branching ratios for the reactions of FeO + with CH 4 and CD 4 have been measured from 123 to 700 K. The 300 K rate constants are 9.5 × 10 −11 and 5.1 × 10 −11 cm 3 s −1 for the CH 4 and CD 4 reactions, respectively. At low temperatures, the Fe + + CH 3 OH/CD 3 OD product channel dominates, while at higher temperatures, FeOH + /FeOD + + CH 3 /CD 3 becomes the majority channel. The data were found to connect well with previous experiments at higher translational energies. The kinetics were simulated using a statistical adiabatic channel model (vibrations are adiabatic during approach of the reactants), which reproduced the experimental data of both reactions well over the extended temperature and energy ranges. Stationary point energies along the reaction pathway determined by ab initio calculations seemed to be only approximate and were allowed to vary in the statistical model. The model shows a crossing from the ground-state sextet surface to the excited quartet surface with large efficiency, indicating that both states are involved. The reaction bottleneck for the reaction is found to be the quartet barrier, for CH 4 modeled as −22 kJ mol −1 relative to the sextet reactants. Contrary to previous rationalizations, neither less favorable spin-crossing at increased energies nor the opening of additional reaction channels is needed to explain the temperature dependence of the product branching fractions. It is found that a proper treatment of state-specific rotations is crucial. The modeled energy for the FeOH + + CH 3 channel (−1 kJ mol −1 ) agrees with the experimental thermochemical value, while the modeled energy of the Fe + + CH 3 OH channel (−10 kJ mol −1 ) corresponds to the quartet iron product, provided that spin-switching near the products is inefficient. Alternative possibilities for spin switching during the reaction are considered. The modeling provides unique insight into the reaction mechanisms as well as energetic benchmarks for the reaction surface.