State selected ion–molecule reactions by a TESICO technique. VIII. Vibronic-state dependence of the cross sections in the reaction NO+(a 3Σ+, v ; b 3Π, v)+Ar → NO+Ar+

Abstract

Charge transfer reactions NO++Ar → Ar++NO (1) have been studied by selecting the vibronic states of NO+ using the threshold electron–secondary ion coincidence (TESICO) technique. The vibronic states selected were a 3Σ+, v=0–5 and b 3Π, v=0, for each of which the relative cross sections have been determined at two collision energies 1.4 and 5.8 eV. The cross section for the a 3Σ+ state has been found to show a resonancelike enhancement at v=2. This feature is reproduced fairly well by the simple two-state theory of Rapp and Francis combined with the consideration of the Franck–Condon factors. However, a closer comparison of the theoretical and experimental results over the entire range of v reveals that the reaction cross sections for the a 3Σ+ reactant ion state consist of two components, one in which the vibrational-state dependence is determined simply by the energy defects and Franck–Condon factors, and the other in which the vibrational-state dependence cannot be interpreted by those factors. The cross section for the b 3Π, v=0 state has been found to be much smaller than those for the exoergic reactions of the a 3Σ+ state (v=1–5). This has been attributed to the difference in the nature of the molecular orbitals that play primary roles in the a 3Σ+ and b 3Π reactions.