Metastable Negative Ions

Abstract

Metastable negative ions have been detected with a mass spectrometer during an electron bombardment study of ethyl dichlorophosphate. Seven transitions for these metastable negative ions are tabulated, and the half-lives of two of these ions have been measured using a method proposed by Hipple. Measurements on the metastable ions in the transitions ${\mathrm{C}}_2$ ${\mathrm{H}}_5$P${\mathrm{O}}_2$ ${\mathrm{Cl}}_2^{-}$→P${\mathrm{O}}_2$ ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$ + [${\mathrm{C}}_2$ ${\mathrm{H}}_5$Cl] and P${\mathrm{O}}_2$ ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$→${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-}$+[P${\mathrm{O}}_2$] give 1.9×${10}^{-6\mathrm{}}$ and 4.8×${10}^{-6\mathrm{}}$ sec, respectively, as their half-lives.