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Exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules

The recently constructed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) free electron laser (FEL) at the Dalian Coherent Light Source (DCLS) is yielding a wealth of new and exquisitely detailed information about the photofragmentation dynamics of many small gas-phase molecules. This Review focuses particular attention on...

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Autores principales: Chang, Yao, Ashfold, Michael N R, Yuan, Kaijun, Yang, Xueming
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Oxford University Press 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10533343/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37771464
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwad158
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author Chang, Yao
Ashfold, Michael N R
Yuan, Kaijun
Yang, Xueming
author_facet Chang, Yao
Ashfold, Michael N R
Yuan, Kaijun
Yang, Xueming
author_sort Chang, Yao
collection PubMed
description The recently constructed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) free electron laser (FEL) at the Dalian Coherent Light Source (DCLS) is yielding a wealth of new and exquisitely detailed information about the photofragmentation dynamics of many small gas-phase molecules. This Review focuses particular attention on five triatomic molecules—H(2)O, H(2)S, CO(2), OCS and CS(2). Each shows excitation wavelength-dependent dissociation dynamics, yielding photofragments that populate a range of electronic and (in the case of diatomic fragments) vibrational and rotational quantum states, which can be characterized by different translational spectroscopy methods. The photodissociation of an isolated molecule from a well-defined initial quantum state provides a lens through which one can investigate how and why chemical reactions occur, and provides numerous opportunities for fruitful, synergistic collaborations with high-level ab initio quantum chemists. The chosen molecules, their photofragments and the subsequent chemical reaction networks to which they can contribute are all crucial in planetary atmospheres and in interstellar and circumstellar environments. The aims of this Review are 3-fold: to highlight new photochemical insights enabled by the VUV-FEL at the DCLS, notably the recently recognized central atom elimination process that is shown to contribute in all of these triatomic molecules; to highlight some of the potential implications of this rich photochemistry to our understanding of interstellar chemistry and molecular evolution within the universe; and to highlight other and future research directions in areas related to chemical reaction dynamics and astrochemistry that will be enabled by increased access to VUV-FEL sources.
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spelling pubmed-105333432023-09-28 Exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules Chang, Yao Ashfold, Michael N R Yuan, Kaijun Yang, Xueming Natl Sci Rev Review The recently constructed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) free electron laser (FEL) at the Dalian Coherent Light Source (DCLS) is yielding a wealth of new and exquisitely detailed information about the photofragmentation dynamics of many small gas-phase molecules. This Review focuses particular attention on five triatomic molecules—H(2)O, H(2)S, CO(2), OCS and CS(2). Each shows excitation wavelength-dependent dissociation dynamics, yielding photofragments that populate a range of electronic and (in the case of diatomic fragments) vibrational and rotational quantum states, which can be characterized by different translational spectroscopy methods. The photodissociation of an isolated molecule from a well-defined initial quantum state provides a lens through which one can investigate how and why chemical reactions occur, and provides numerous opportunities for fruitful, synergistic collaborations with high-level ab initio quantum chemists. The chosen molecules, their photofragments and the subsequent chemical reaction networks to which they can contribute are all crucial in planetary atmospheres and in interstellar and circumstellar environments. The aims of this Review are 3-fold: to highlight new photochemical insights enabled by the VUV-FEL at the DCLS, notably the recently recognized central atom elimination process that is shown to contribute in all of these triatomic molecules; to highlight some of the potential implications of this rich photochemistry to our understanding of interstellar chemistry and molecular evolution within the universe; and to highlight other and future research directions in areas related to chemical reaction dynamics and astrochemistry that will be enabled by increased access to VUV-FEL sources. Oxford University Press 2023-05-27 /pmc/articles/PMC10533343/ /pubmed/37771464 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwad158 Text en © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of China Science Publishing & Media Ltd. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Review
Chang, Yao
Ashfold, Michael N R
Yuan, Kaijun
Yang, Xueming
Exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules
title Exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules
title_full Exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules
title_fullStr Exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules
title_short Exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules
title_sort exploring the vacuum ultraviolet photochemistry of astrochemically important triatomic molecules
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10533343/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37771464
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwad158
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