Electron collisions with boron trichloride(BCl3)molecules

Abstract

Absolute total cross section (TCS) for electron scattering by boron trichloride $(\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{Cl}}_{3})$ molecules has been measured in a linear transmission method under single collision conditions. Measurements have been performed within electron energy range from 0.3 to 370 eV. The TCS energy function for $\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{Cl}}_{3}$ is dominated with very pronounced enhancement peaked near 10 eV ($61\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}20}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{2}$ in the maximum). Low-energy slope of the enhancement is superimposed with two resonantlike structures located near 3.2 and 6.0 eV. On the descending high-energy side of the TCS curve only a weak shoulder between 30 and 60 eV is discernible. The present TCS is compared with the existing experimental and calculated cross sections for particular ${e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{Cl}}_{3}$ scattering processes. Furthermore, the TCS for $\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{Cl}}_{3}$ is also confronted with the TCS for $\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{F}}_{3}$ and the role of peripheral atoms in molecule is indicated and discussed.