Ultraslow isomerization in photoexcited gas-phase carbon cluster $${{\rm C}}_{10}^ -$$

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03197-w
• Publication Date: 2018-02-26T15:22:55Z
• Authors: K. Saha; V. Chandrasekaran; O. Heber; M. A. Iron; M. L. Rappaport; D. Zajfman
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; Article

AbstractIsomerization and carbon chemistry in the gas phase are key processes in many scientific studies. Here we report on the isomerization process from linear $${{\rm C}}_{10}^ -$$

C

10

-

to its monocyclic isomer. $${{\rm C}}_{10}^ -$$

C

10

-

ions were trapped in an electrostatic ion beam trap and then excited with a laser pulse of precise energy. The neutral products formed upon photoexcitation were measured as a function of time after the laser pulse. It was found using a statistical model that, although the system is excited above its isomerization barrier energy, the actual isomerization from linear to monocyclic conformation takes place on a very long time scale of up to hundreds of microseconds. This finding may indicate a general phenomenon that can affect the interstellar medium chemistry of large molecule formation as well as other gas phase processes.