Products of Charge Exchange by Light Ions in Molecular Gases

Abstract

Identification has been made of the slow charged products of charge-exchange collisions of ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$, $\mathrm{H}_2^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$, and ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$ with ${\mathrm{H}}_2$, ${\mathrm{N}}_2$, ${\mathrm{O}}_2$, C${\mathrm{O}}_2$, ${\mathrm{H}}_2$O, N${\mathrm{H}}_3$, and C${\mathrm{H}}_4$. For each target gas, molecular fragments from dissociative charge exchange predominate in reactions with ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$, while the simple nondissociated molecular ion is produced by ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ or $\mathrm{H}_2^{}{}_{}{}^{+}$ collisions. The experimental data also yield information useful in comparing the relative kinetic energies of the charged species characterisitics of the various reactions studied. The results are discussed in terms of molecular energy levels and the participation of excited states.