Kinetic Energy Release in Thermal Ion-Molecule Reactions: Single Charge-Transfer Reactions of V2+ and Ta2+ with Benzene

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/j100174a048

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICRMS) has been used to study the single charge-transfer reactions of V2+ and Ta2+ with benzene under thermal conditions.Thermal charge-transfer rate constants of 2.0 x 10^-9 and 1.2 x 10^-9 cm³ molecule^-1s^-1 were measured for V2+ and Ta2+, respectively.The total kinetic energy of the product ions was determined to be 1.91 +/- 0.50 eV for the V2+ case and 2.82 +/- 0.50 eV for the Ta2+ case.These results and a previous study of the Nb2+ - benzene single charge-transfer system suggest a simple long-distance electron-transfer mechanism proceeding by ionization of the 1a_2u orbital of benzene with significant internal excitation of the nascent C6H6+ product.