Evidence for stable Rydberg states in the presence of an electron scavenger: The ZEKE spectrum of the toluene·SF6 complex

W. D. Geppert*, C. E.H. Dessent, M. C.R. Cockett, K. Müller-Dethlefs

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

ZEKE and MATI spectroscopies have been used to study the toluene·SF6 complex, revealing that high-n Rydberg states appear to be stable in the presence of a strong electron scavenger such as SF6. The lifetimes are significantly longer than predicted by the 'free electron model', suggesting that the molecular collisions inherent in previous cross-beam studies are crucial for effecting electron transfer. The study also provided spectroscopic information on toluene·SF6, including the S1-S0 transition energy, 37 485.9±0.6 cm-1, and the adiabatic ionisation energy, 70 688.6±1.2 cm-1. Binding energies of 739±23, 731±23 and 1250±20 cm-1 were determined for the S0, S1 and D0 states, respectively.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)194-200
Number of pages7
JournalChemical Physics Letters
Volume303
Issue number1-2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Apr 1999

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