The rotational and vibrational state distributions of the H2 product from the reactions of translationally excited H atoms with HCl, HBr, and HI at 1.6 eV are probed by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy after only one collision of the fast H atom. Despite the high collision energy, only the very exoergic (ΔH=−1.4 eV) hydrogen atom abstraction involving HI leads to appreciable H2 product vibrational excitation. For this reaction the H2 vibrational distribution is strongly inverted and peaks in v′=1, with 25% of the total available energy partitioned to vibration. For the mildy exoergic (ΔH=−0.72 eV) reaction with HBr and the nearly thermoneutral (ΔH=−0.05 eV) reaction with HCl, very little energy appears in H2 vibration, 9% and 2%, respectively, and the vibrational state distributions peak at v′=0. However, in all three reactions a significant fraction, 18% to 21%, of the total energy available appears as H2 rotation. All three reactions show a strong propensity to conserve the translational energy, that is the translational energy of the H2+X products is very nearly the same as that of the H+HX reactants. For the reactions with HCl, HBr, and HI the average translational energy of the products is 1.3, 1.7, and 1.7 eV, respectively, and the width of the translational energy distribution is only about 0.5 eV full width at half maximum. The energy disposal in all three reactions is quite specific, despite the fact that this high collision energy is well above the barrier to reaction in all three systems and a large number of product quantum states are energetically accessible. Only a few of these energetically allowed final states are appreciably populated. Although detailed theoretical calculations will be required to account completely for the state specifity, quite simple models of the reaction dynamics can explain much of the dynamical bias that we observe.
We report the first determination of the initial vibrational distribution in the OH product of the reaction between O(1D2) and H2. The measurement was made using a novel time-resolved Fourier transform spectroscopic technique which permits the observation of spectra on a microsecond time scale at a known time after the initiation of a reaction. The result is P(v′=1:2:3:4)=0.29:0.32:0.25:0.13 suggesting that the reaction dynamics involve very large attractive energy release during reagent approach followed by an extremely short-lived interaction leading to products within a few vibrational periods.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.