Chemical reactions in quantum crystals

Abstract

Solid parahydrogen, known as a quantum crystal, is a novel matrix for the study of physical and chemical processes of molecules at low temperatures by high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. Ro-vibrational motion of molecules embedded in solid parahydrogen is well quantized on account of the weak interaction in the crystal. In addition, molecules are almost free from the cage effect because of the softness of the quantum crystal, so that a variety of chemical reactions could be observed for molecules in solid parahydrogen at liquid He temperatures. In this article, we survey our recent studies on photodissociation of methyl radicals and subsequent reactions in solid parahydrogen, and discuss (1) the nuclear spin selection rule in chemical reactions and (2) pure tunnelling reactions obtained from the analysis of the present system. Contents PAGE 1. Introduction 534 2. Solid parahydrogen as a matrix 535 3. Experiments 536 4. Photochemistry of methyl iodide 537 5. Nuclear spin selection rule in chemical reactions 542 6. Tunnelling chemical reactions 546 7. Conclusion 550 Acknowledgement 550 References 550