Encoding of vinylidene isomerization in its anion photoelectron spectrum

Abstract

The quantum mechanics of a hydrogen hop Hydrogen migration between adjacent carbons is widespread in the reaction mechanisms of organic chemistry. DeVine et al. used photoelectron spectroscopy to discern the quantum mechanical underpinnings of this 1,2 shift in a prototypical case: conversion of vinylidene (H 2 CC) to acetylene (HCCH). The technique probed specific states of vinylidene by ejecting electrons with varying energies from a negative ion precursor. Experimental data and accompanying theoretical simulations pinpointed a vibrational rocking mode that facilitated the migration. Replacement of hydrogen with its heavier deuterium isotope disrupted this pathway. Science , this issue p. 336