Energy partitionning in charge transfer reactions at thermal energies

Abstract

Non dissociative charge transfer reactions from Ar +, Kr +, Xe +, N 2 +, CO +, O 2 + and CO 2 + to several small molecules have been investigated at near thermal collision energies. In most cases a substantial amount (up to 1.8 eV) of kinetic energy release is measured. In C.T. from atomic ions the internal energy of the product molecular ion(M +) is then deduced from energy balance and it turns out that M + is usually formed in high vibrational levels of the ground electronic state with a rather narrow vibrational distribution. Partitioning between internal and kinetic energy of M + is correlated to its size. In C.T. from molecular ions(P +) complementary experiments have to be performed to determine separately the internal energy of the neutral (P) and ionic (M +) products.