Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.120, No.27, 5348-5359, 2016
Dynamics of the O-Atom Exchange Reaction O-16(P-3)+(OO)-O-18-O-18((3)Sigma(-)(g)) -> (OO)-O-6-O-18((3)Sigma(-)(g))+O-18(P-3) at Hyperthermal Energies
The O atom exchange reaction, O-16(P-3) + (OO)-O-18-O-18((3)Sigma(-)(g)) -> (OO)-O-16-O-18((3)Sigma(-)(g)) + O-18(P-3), was investigated at a hyperthermal center-of-mass (c.m.) collision energy (E-coll) of 86 kcal mol(-1), using a crossed-molecular-beams apparatus and quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) calculations. The inelastically scattered O-16 and reactively scattered (OO)-O-16-O-18 products were detected with a rotatable mass spectrometer employing electron-impact ionization. The O-16 atoms are scattered in inelastic collisions in the forward direction relative to their initial direction of flight, with most of the available energy partitioned into translation. The (OO)-O-16-O-18 products of reactive collisions are mainly formed through impulsive dynamics and are scattered in the forward as well as sideways directions relative to the direction of the reagent O-16 atoms, with a slight majority of the available energy partitioned into translation (< E-T > = 58%) and a significant contribution to internal degrees of freedom. Excellent agreement was found between the experimental c.m. angular and translational energy distributions of the inelastically scattered O-16 and reactively scattered (OO)-O-16-O-18 products and those obtained from QCT calculations, which were carried out on a ground-state singlet electronic potential energy surface. The QCT calculations predicted (OO)-O-16-O-18 products that are both highly rotationally and vibrationally excited, with j'((OO)-O-16-O-18) up to 150 and nu(1)((OO)-O-16-O-18) up to 15, respectively. The QCT simulations indicate that the translational energy distribution of the reactively scattered (OO)-O-16-O-18 is bimodal, corresponding to two distinct interaction mechanisms that are dependent on impact parameter: one at impact parameters below similar to 0.5 angstrom and another in the vicinity of 1.6 angstrom. Collisions in the former regime produce (OO)-O-16-O-18 with internal energy closer to the maximum available energy while the latter mechanism, involving strong interaction within the O-3 potential well, is responsible for the low-energy peak of the product translational distribution. The inelastic collisions also follow two basic impact-parameter-dependent mechanisms. At impact parameters above 2.1 angstrom, the O-16 atom is reflected from the outer repulsive wall of the O-2 molecule, resulting in exclusively forward scattering, while collisions at impact parameters below similar to 2 angstrom access the O-3 potential well and lead to ejection of either an O-16 or an O-18 atom. Scattering remains preferentially forward in both cases due to the large momentum of the attacking O-16 atom.