Vibrationally resolved anion photoelectron spectroscopy of metal clusters

Vibrationally resolved anion photoelectron spectroscopy of metal clusters Vibrationally resolved anion photoelectron spectroscopy (APES) and density functional theory (DFT) are applied to the study of structure and reactivity in small metal containing molecules. The studies described fall into two general categories: the study of bare metal clusters and the study of metal/organic ligand reactions.;The current lack of spectroscopic data for small, bare gas-phase metal compounds makes the experimental study of such compounds important for understanding structure and bonding in open-shell metallic species. The heteronuclear diatomic anions MCu- (M = Cr, Mo) were prepared in a flowing afterglow ion-molecule reactor, and studied experimentally with APES. Anion and neutral vibrational frequencies and MCu electron affinities were obtained for both systems. The experiments were supplemented by DFT calculations. The combined use of experiment and theory allows for the assignment of both photoelectron spectra, including a reassignment of the CrCu ground state reported in the literature. Similarly, DFT was used to assign the anionic/neutral electronic states observed in the photoelectron spectra of Al3- and Al3O-.;The study of partially ligated organometallic complexes offers a means of examining the interactions between metal atoms and individual ligand molecules. DFT was used to assign electronic states observed in the photoelectron spectra of NbC2H2-, NbC4H4 -NbC6H6- and VC6H 6-. Comparison of the NbnHn - (n = 2, 4, 6) spectra (obtained through the reaction of C2 H4 and Nb) with DFT results provides the first direct spectroscopic evidence of the conversion of ethylene to benzene by a gas phase metal atom. Experiments were used to probe the reactivity of Y with C2H 4 in an effort to examine the generality of the metal induced C 2H4 dehydrogenation/cyclization reactions. Some of the key products in the Y reactions were YC2H-, YC 2H2-, and YC6H5 -. However, the results indicate that Y does not mediate benzene formation from ethylene under the experimental conditions employed.