Electron Affinities from Electron-Transfer Equilibria : A(-) + B = A + B(-)

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00302a005

Determination of the equilibrium constants K₁ for gas-phase electron-transfer equilibria with a pulsed electron beam high ion source pressure mass spectrometer led to the electron affinities of 34 compounds with EA's between 0.5 and 3eV.The compounds are mostly substituted nitrobenzenes, substituted quinones, and conjugated molecules containing oxygen atoms.The EA of smaller molecules like SO2, NO2, CS2, and CH3NO2 also were determined.The method is very well suited for rapid, accurate, routine determinations of electron affinities.A comparison with EA's determined with other gas-phase methods and EA's evaluated from polarographic half-wave reduction potentials and charge-transfer spectra in solution is made.The rate constants for a number of exothermic electron-transfer reactions were determined.Most of these proceed at near collision rates.Electron-transfer reactions involving perfluorinated compounds like perfluoromethylcyclohexane, perfluorocyclohexane, and sulfurhexafluoride do not follow this behavior.While the perfluoro compounds have high thermal electron capture cross sections, they do not accept electrons from A(-) of compounds A with lower electron affinity.The perfluoro anions do transfer electrons to compounds A with higher electron affinity, and the rate constants increase with EA(A) - EA(perfluoro compound).