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The unimolecular isomerisation of the prompt propargyl + propargyl “head-to-head” adduct, 1,5-hexadiyne, to fulvene and benzene by the 3,4-dimethylenecyclobut-1-ene (DMCB) intermediate (all C 6 H 6 ) was studied in the high-pressure limit by threshold photoelectron (TPE) spectroscopy. TPE spectra (TPES) were recorded with photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet radiation. Reference TPES, obtained using pure compounds or judiciously extracted from the pyrolysis data, served as basis functions for pyrolysis quantification. From these spectra, we measured a revised fulvene ionisation energy of 8.401 ± 0.005 eV. Temperature-dependent pyrolysis spectra were decomposed using these basis functions. The basis function coefficients were converted to product yields relying on assumed integral threshold photoionisation cross sections obtained by three, partially mutually exclusive sets of assumptions. Thus, the product yields of DMCB, fulvene, and benzene have been established, as well as their uncertainty. The derived mole fractions are consistent with modeling based on the C 6 H 6 potential and RRKM master equation model of Miller and Klippenstein [ J. Phys. Chem. A , 2003, 107 , 7783]. Although our results are fully consistent with the parallel isomerisation pathways to benzene and fulvene found by Miller and Klippenstein, we observe the onset ofmore »fulvene at a lower temperature than that of the onset of benzene, in agreement with the master equation model but in contrast to the previous experiments of Stein et al. [ Proc. Combust. Inst. , 1990, 23 , 85]. This work promotes the use of photoion mass-selected threshold photoelectron spectroscopy as a rapid, sensitive, isomer-selective, and quantitative detection tool among the panoply of established analytical techniques.« less

Methacrolein oxide (MACR-oxide) is a four-carbon, resonance-stabilized Criegee intermediate produced from isoprene ozonolysis, yet its reactivity is not well understood. This study identifies the functionalized hydroperoxide species, 1-hydroperoxy-2-methylallyl formate (HPMAF), generated from the reaction of MACR-oxide with formic acid using multiplexed photoionization mass spectrometry (MPIMS, 298 K = 25 °C, 10 torr = 13.3 hPa). Electronic structure calculations indicate the reaction proceeds via an energetically favorable 1,4-addition mechanism. The formation of HPMAF is observed by the rapid appearance of a fragment ion at m/z 99, consistent with the proposed mechanism and characteristic loss of HO2 upon photoionization of functional hydroperoxides. The identification of HPMAF is confirmed by comparison of the appearance energy of the fragment ion with theoretical predictions of its photoionization threshold. The results are compared to analogous studies on the reaction of formic acid with methyl vinyl ketone oxide (MVK-oxide), the other four-carbon Criegee intermediate in isoprene ozonolysis.

Isoprene is the most abundant non-methane hydrocarbon emitted into the Earth's atmosphere. Ozonolysis is an important atmospheric sink for isoprene, which generates reactive carbonyl oxide species (R 1 R 2 CO + O − ) known as Criegee intermediates. This study focuses on characterizing the catalyzed isomerization and adduct formation pathways for the reaction between formic acid and methyl vinyl ketone oxide (MVK-oxide), a four-carbon unsaturated Criegee intermediate generated from isoprene ozonolysis. syn -MVK-oxide undergoes intramolecular 1,4 H-atom transfer to form a substituted vinyl hydroperoxide intermediate, 2-hydroperoxybuta-1,3-diene (HPBD), which subsequently decomposes to hydroxyl and vinoxylic radical products. Here, we report direct observation of HPBD generated by formic acid catalyzed isomerization of MVK-oxide under thermal conditions (298 K, 10 torr) using multiplexed photoionization mass spectrometry. The acid catalyzed isomerization of MVK-oxide proceeds by a double hydrogen-bonded interaction followed by a concerted H-atom transfer via submerged barriers to produce HPBD and regenerate formic acid. The analogous isomerization pathway catalyzed with deuterated formic acid (D 2 -formic acid) enables migration of a D atom to yield partially deuterated HPBD (DPBD), which is identified by its distinct mass ( m / z 87) and photoionization threshold. In addition, bimolecular reaction of MVK-oxide with Dmore »2 -formic acid forms a functionalized hydroperoxide adduct, which is the dominant product channel, and is compared to a previous bimolecular reaction study with normal formic acid. Complementary high-level theoretical calculations are performed to further investigate the reaction pathways and kinetics.« less