DISSOCIATION DYNAMICS OF CH3SH AT 222, 248, AND 193 NM - AN ANALOG FOR PROBING NONADIABATICITY IN THE TRANSITION-STATE REGION OF BIMOLECULAR REACTIONS

These experiments use molecular photodissociation of CH3SH to probe the dynamics and the influence of nonadiabatic coupling in the transition state region of the CH3+SH-->CH3S+H reaction. Photoexcitation at 222 and 248 nm in the first of two absorption bands accesses the lower of the two coupled potential energy surfaces near the saddle point of the excited state reaction coordinate. Measurement of the resulting photofragments' velocities and angular distributions determine the branching between the CH3+SH and the CH3S+H exit channels. At all wavelengths within the first absorption band, we observe preferential fission of the stronger S-H bond over the weaker C-S bond. Fission of the C-S bond occurs only to a small degree at 222 nm and is not observable at 248 nm. Comparison with our earlier data at 193 nm, corresponding to excitation to the upper bound adiabat which is nonadiabatically coupled to the lower dissociative surface reached at 222 nm, shows that the branching ratio between C-S bond fission and S-H bond fission is a factor of eight larger at 193 nm. To probe the forces in the Franck-Condon region, we also measure the photoemission spectrum from dissociating CH3SH excited at 222 nm and compare it to the previous measurement at 193 nm. The 222 nm spectrum evidences emission into the S-H stretch and methyl stretch vibrations but not into C-S stretching modes, consistent with the dominance of S-H fission on the lower adiabat, while the 193 nm emission spectrum, reassigned here, has only a progression in the C-S stretch. The comparison of the spectra suggests a model in which stretching along the C-S coordinate on the bound upper state occurs as the amplitude couples nonadiabatically to the lower dissociative surface, allowing the molecule to access the region near the saddle point on the lower surface at extended C-S bond lengths. This results in better overlap with the C-S fission exit channel and thus an increased branching to C-S bond fission over that observed upon direct excitation to the lower dissociative surface at 222 nm. To further advance the experimental conclusions, we present collaborative calculations of the potential energy surfaces using the effective valence-shell Hamiltonian method developed by Freed and co-workers.