Kinetic Energy Dependence and Potential Energy Surface of the Spin-forbidden Reaction Sm+ (8F) + N2O (1Σ+) → SmO+ (6Δ) + N2 (1Σg+)
Research by David H. Loertscher, Brandon C. Stevenson, and Peter B. Armentrout
Chemical reactions that require a change in electron spin have slow reaction rates and reduced efficiency. The gas-phase oxidation reaction between samarium ions (Sm+) and nitrous oxide (N2O), which is relevant to atmospheric modification to improve satellite communications, is a spin-forbidden reaction with curious behavior. Guided-Ion beam tandem mass spectrometry experiments show that the reaction rate and efficiency increase significantly as energy is added to the reactants. This dramatic change occurs only when a threshold energy (0.54 ±0.05 eV) is reached. To investigate the origins of this behavior, Loertscher, Stevenson, and Armentrout used the CHPC's resources to calculate potential energy surfaces as maps for the reaction.
For more information, please see the group's poster about the project.