Reactive scattering of a supersonic chlorine atom beam: Cl + CH₃I

Abstract

Reactive scattering of Cl atoms with CH3I molecules has been studied over the range of initial translational energy E = 62-23 kJ mol-1, using a supersonic beam of Cl atoms seeded in He and Ne buffer gas. Laboratory angular and velocity distributions of ICl product were measured which indicate that reaction occurs via a long-lived collision complex with forward scattering appearing only at the highest collision energy. The dependence of the total reaction cross section on initial translational energy was also determined. The observed reactive scattering arises from an endoergic dissociation of the collision complex. The results are interpreted by a model which accounts for the effect of angular momentum conservation on this endoergic dissociation compared with the favoured dissociation of the complex back to reactants.