Temporary negative ions and vibrational excitation in CH3Cl and CD3Cl

Abstract

Electron energy loss spectroscopy is used to study the vibrational modes of CH₃Cl and CD₃Cl excited through the formation of a temporary negative ion state centered at 3.5 eV. Using symmetry and charge distribution arguments together with the experimentally determined excitation functions for several vibrational modes, we confirm that this resonance results from filling of the 8a₁(C–Cl) σ* molecular orbital. Evidence for a broad higher‐lying resonance which we attribute to the unfilled 4e orbital is also presented.