Formation of noble-gas hydrides and decay of solvated protons revisited: diffusion-controlled reactions and hydrogen atom losses in solid noble gases.

UV photolysis and annealing of C2H2/Xe, C2H2/Xe/Kr, and HBr/Xe matrices lead to complicated photochemical processes and reactions. The dominating products in these experiments are noble-gas hydrides with general formula HNgY (Ng = noble-gas atom, Y = electronegative fragment). We concentrate on distinguishing the local and global mobility and losses of H atoms, barriers of the reactions, and the decay of solvated protons.

Matrix isolation and ab initio study of the HXeCCH...CO2 complex.

The HXeCCH...

On theoretical predictions of noble-gas hydrides.

We discuss the present status and reliability of theoretical predictions of noble-gas hydride molecules. It is shown that the single-reference MP2 calculations can produce a rather inaccurate energy diagram for the formation of noble-gas hydrides, and this may mislead the theoretical predictions. We suggest that the computational dissociation energy of the HY precursors should always be compared with the experimental values as a checkpoint for the computational accuracy.

Insertion of noble gas atoms into cyanoacetylene: an ab initio and matrix isolation study.

A computational and experimental matrix isolation study of insertion of noble gas atoms into cyanoacetylene (HCCCN) is presented. Twelve novel noble gas insertion compounds are found to be kinetically stable at the MP2 level of theory, including four molecules with argon. The first group of the computationally studied molecules belongs to noble gas hydrides (HNgCCCN and HNgCCNC), and we found their stability for Ng = Ar, Kr, and Xe.

HXeCCH in Ar and Kr matrices.

HXeCCH molecule is prepared in Ar and Kr matrices and characterized by IR absorption spectroscopy. The experiments show that HXeCCH can be made in another host than the polarizable Xe environment. The H-Xe stretching absorption of HXeCCH in Ar and Kr is blueshifted from the value measured in solid Xe.

Selective and reversible control of a chemical reaction with narrow-band infrared radiation: HXeCC radical in solid xenon.

The light-induced H + XeC2 <--> HXeCC reaction is studied in solid Xe, and the full optical control of this reaction is demonstrated. By narrow-band excitation in the IR spectral region, HXeCC radicals can be decomposed to a local metastable configuration and then selectively recovered by resonant excitation of the XeC2 vibrations. The novel recovery process is explained by short-range mobility of the reagents promoted by vibrational energy redistribution near the absorbing XeC2 molecule.

Infrared absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance studies of vinyl radical in noble-gas matrices.

Vinyl radicals produced by annealing-induced reaction of mobilized hydrogen atoms with acetylene molecules in solid noble-gas matrices (Ar, Kr, and Xe) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. The hydrogen atoms were generated from acetylene by UV photolysis or fast electron irradiation. Two vibrational modes of the vinyl radical (nu7 and nu5) were assigned in IR absorption studies.

Organo-noble-gas hydride compounds HKrCCH, HXeCCH, HXeCC, and HXeCCXeH: formation mechanisms and effect of 13C isotope substitution on the vibrational properties.

We investigate the formation mechanism of HXeCCXeH in a Xe matrix. Our experimental results show that the HXeCCXeH molecules are formed in the secondary reactions involving HXeCC radicals. The experimental data on the formation of HXeCCXeH is fully explained based on the model involving the HXeCC+Xe+H-->HXeCCXeH reaction.

A gate to organokrypton chemistry: HKrCCH.

An organic molecule containing krypton, HKrCCH, is reported. The preparation of HKrCCH includes 193-nm photolysis of H2C2/Kr solid mixtures at 8 K and subsequent thermal mobilization of hydrogen atoms at >/=30 K. The identification is based on infrared absorption spectroscopy and supported by ab initio calculations which show ionic and covalent contributions to the bonding.

Fluorine-free organoxenon chemistry: HXeCCH, HXeCC, and HXeCCXeH.

Three novel Xe-containing organic compounds, HXeCCH, HXeCC (open-shell species), and HXeCCXeH, are identified using infrared absorption spectroscopy. They are prepared in a low-temperature Xe matrix using UV photolysis of acetylene and subsequent annealing at 40-45 K. The experimental observations are supported by extensive ab initio calculations.

A neutral xenon-containing radical, HXeO.

We report an open-shell species containing xenon, HXeO ((2)Sigma), prepared by UV photolysis of H(2)O/Xe or N(2)O/HBr/Xe solid mixtures at 7 K and subsequent thermal mobilization of oxygen atoms at >/=30 K. The H-Xe stretching absorption of HXeO in solid Xe is at 1466.1 cm(-1), and it shifts to 1070.

Intermolecular complexes of HXeOH with water: stabilization and destabilization effects.

Theoretical and matrix-isolation studies of intermolecular complexes of HXeOH with water molecules are presented. The structures and possible decomposition routes of the HXeOH-(H(2)O)(n)(n = 0, 1, 2, 3) complexes are analyzed theoretically. It is concluded that the decay of these metastable species may proceed through the bent transition states (TSs), leading to the global minima on the respective potential energy surfaces, Xe + (H(2)O)(n+1).