Molecular Distortion in Reactive Chemical Intermediates

Abstract

The benzene radical cation is not a regular hexagon. This statement, previously only substantiated with photoelectronic spectra of benzene, ESR spectra of C6H in a freon matrix, or the laser‐induced fluoresence halogen‐substituted benzenes, was strongly supported by the results of ZEKE‐PE experiments by Müller‐Dethlefs et al. These results should lead soon to a quantification of the Jahn – Teller geometric distortion in C6H and the energy stabilization derived therefrom.