Photodissociation dynamics of enolic 1,2-cyclohexanedione at 266, 248, and 193 nm: mechanism and nascent state product distribution of OH.

The photodissociation dynamics of 1,2-cyclohexanedione (CHD), which exists in enolic form in gas phase, is studied using pulsed laser photolysis (LP)-laser induced fluorescence (LIF) "pump-and-probe" technique at room temperature. The nascent state distribution of the OH radical, formed after initial photoexcitation of the molecule to it is (π, π*) and Rydberg states, is determined. The initial (π, π*) and Rydberg states are prepared by excitation with the fourth harmonic output of Nd:YAG (266 nm)/KrF (248 nm) and ArF (193 nm) lasers, respectively. The ro-vibrational distribution of the nascent OH photofragment is measured in collision-free conditions using LIF. The OH fragments are formed in the vibrationally cold state at all the above wavelengths of excitation but differ in rotational state distributions. At 266 nm photolysis, the rotational population of OH shows a curvature in Boltzmann plot, which is fairly described by two types of Boltzmann-like distributions characterized by rotational temperatures of 3100 ± 100 and 900 ± 80 K. However, at 248 nm photolysis, the rotational distribution is described by a single rotational temperature of 950 ± 80 K. The spin-orbit and Λ-doublets ratios of OH fragments formed in the dissociation process are also measured. The average translational energy in the center-of-mass coordinate, partitioned into the photofragment pairs of the OH formation channels, is determined to be 12.5 ± 3.0, 12.7 ± 3.0, and 12.0 ± 3.0 kcal/mol at 266, 248, and 193 nm excitation, respectively. The energy partitioning into various degrees of freedom of products is interpreted with the help of different models, namely, statistical, impulsive, and hybrid models. To understand the nature of the dissociative potential energy surface involved in the OH formation channel, detailed ab initio calculations are performed using configuration interaction-singles (CIS) method. It is proposed that at 266 nm photolysis, the OH fragment is formed from two different excited state structures, one with a strong H bonding, similar to that in the ground state, and another without effective H bonding, whereas, at 248 nm photodissociation, it seems that the OH formation occurs mainly from the excited state, which lacks effective H-bonding. At 193 nm excitation, the initially prepared population in the Rydberg state crosses over to a nearby σ* repulsive state along the C-O bond, from where the dissociation takes place. The exit barrier for the OH dissociation channel is estimated to be 14 kcal/mol. The existence of dynamical constraint due to strong hydrogen bond in the ground state is effectively present in the dissociation process at 266 and somewhat deficient at 248 nm photolysis.