Doubly ionized OCS bond rearrangement upon fragmentation - experiment and theory

The dissociation of OCS2+ ions formed by photoionization of the neutral molecule at 40.81 eV is examined using threefold and fourfold electron-ion coincidence spectroscopy combined with high level quantum chemical calculations on isomeric structures and their potential energy surfaces. The dominant dissociation channel of [OCS](2+) is charge separation forming CO+ + S+ ion pairs, found here to be formed with low intensity at a lower-energy onset and with a correspondingly smaller kinetic energy release than in the more intense higher energy channel previously reported. We explain the formation of CO+ + S+ ion pairs at low as well as higher ionization energies by the existence of two predissociation channels, one involving a newly identified COS2+ metastable state. We conclude that the dominant CO+ + S+ channel with 5.2 eV kinetic energy release is reached upon OCS2+ & RARR; COS2+ isomerization, whereas the smaller kinetic energy release (of & SIM;4 eV) results from the direct fragmentation of OCS2+ (X-3 & sigma;(-)) ions. Dissociation of the COS2+ isomer also explains the existence of the minor C+ + SO+ ion pair channel. We suggest that isomerization prior to dissociation may be a widespread mechanism in dications and more generally in multiply charged ion dissociations.

Automated summary

The dissociation of OCS2+ ions formed by photoionization of the neutral molecule at 40.81 eV is analyzed using electron-ion coincidence spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. It is found that the dominant dissociation channel is charge separation, forming CO+ + S+ ion pairs with low intensity and smaller kinetic energy release. This is explained by the existence of two predissociation channels, including a newly identified COS2+ metastable state.