Rotationally resolved state-to-state photoionization and photoelectron study of titanium carbide and its cation (TiC/TiC+)

Abstract

Titanium carbide and its cation (TiC/TiC(+)) have been investigated by the two-color visible (VIS)-ultraviolet (UV) resonance-enhanced photoionization and pulsed field ionization-photoelectron (PFI-PE) methods. Two visible excitation bands for neutral TiC are observed at 16,446 and 16,930 cm(-1). Based on rotational analyses, these bands are assigned as the respective TiC((3)Π1) ← TiC(X(3)Σ(+)) and TiC((3)Σ(+)) ← TiC(X(3)Σ(+)) transition bands. This assignment supports that the electronic configuration and term symmetry for the neutral TiC ground state are …7σ(2)8σ(1)9σ(1)3π(4) (X(3)Σ(+)). The rotational constant and the corresponding bond distance of TiC(X(3)Σ(+); v″ = 0) are determined to be B0″ = 0.6112(10) cm(-1) and r0″ = 1.695(2) Å, respectively. The rotational analyses of the VIS-UV-PFI-PE spectra for the TiC(+)(X; v(+) = 0 and 1) vibrational bands show that the electronic configuration and term symmetry for the ionic TiC(+) ground state are …7σ(2)8σ(1)3π(4) (X(2)Σ(+)) with the v(+) = 0 → 1 vibrational spacing of 870.0(8) cm(-1) and the rotational constants of B(e)(+) = 0.6322(28) cm(-1), and α(e)(+) = 0.0085(28) cm(-1). The latter rotational constants yield the equilibrium bond distance of r(e)(+) = 1.667(4) Å for TiC(+)(X(2)Σ(+)). The cleanly rotationally resolved VIS-UV-PFI-PE spectra have also provided a highly precise value of 53 200.2(8) cm(-1) [6.5960(1) eV] for the adiabatic ionization energy (IE) of TiC. This IE(TiC) value along with the known IE(Ti) has made possible the determination of the difference between the 0 K bond dissociation energy (D0) of TiC(+)(X(2)Σ(+)) and that of TiC(X(3)Σ(+)) to be D0(Ti(+)-C) - D0(Ti-C) = 0.2322(2) eV. Similar to previous experimental observations, the present state-to-state PFI-PE study of the photoionization transitions, TiC(+)(X(2)Σ(+); v(+) = 0 and 1, N(+)) ← TiC((3)Π1; v', J'), reveals a strong decreasing trend for the photoionization cross section as |ΔN(+)| = |N(+) - J'| is increased. The maximum |ΔN(+)| change of 7 observed here is also consistent with the previous experimental results for the 3d transition-metal carbides, oxides, and nitrides. However, the VIS-UV-PFI-PE spectra for TiC(+)(X(2)Σ(+); v(+) = 0 and 1, N(+)) are found to display only the negative ΔN(+) (N(+)-J'≤ 0) transitions, indicating that the cross sections for the formation of positive ΔN(+) (N(+)-J' > 0) transitions by both the channel coupling mechanism and direct photoionization are negligibly small.