Examining Ultraslow Isomerization in an Anionic C10(−) Cluster

Isomerization and carbon chemistry in the gas phase are key processes in many scientific studies. Here we report on the isomerization process from linear C10(−) to its monocyclic isomer. C10(−) ions were trapped in an electrostatic ion beam trap and then excited with a laser pulse of precise energy. The neutral products formed upon photoexcitation were measured as a function of time after the laser pulse. It was found using a statistical model that, although the system is excited above its isomerization barrier energy, the actual isomerization from linear to monocyclic conformation takes place on a very long time scale of up to hundreds of microseconds. This finding may indicate a general phenomenon that can affect the interstellar medium chemistry of large molecule formation as well as other gas phase processes.

Want to read more? See: Saha, K.; Chandrasekaran, V.; Heber, O.; Iron, M. A.; Rappaport, M. A.; Zajfman, D., "Ultraslow isomerization in photoexcited gas-phase carbon cluster C10-," Nature Communications 2018, 9, 912. (read online - open access)