The unimolecular dissociation of the acetonitrile molecular cation (CH 3CN +) has been investigated using mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy spectrometry. Kinetic energy release distribution was obtained for the H loss. Density functional theory calculations have been performed to investigate isomerization and dissociation of CH 3CN +. The potential energy surface (PES) for the H loss has been constructed from the calculations at the UB3LYP/6-311++G(3df,3pd) level. The RRKM model calculations based on the obtained PES predict that CH 3CN + interconverts to CH 2CNH + and CH 2NCH + followed by dissociation to a cyclic C 2H 2N + via a cyclic C 2H 3N + intermediate near the threshold. The present and previous experimental data for the dissociations of C 2H 3N + isomers are interpreted with the theoretical results.
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