Photoionization detection of CF2 radicals resulting from the IR multiple-photon dissociation of CF2HCl molecules in a molecular beam Original Research Article

CF+ ions were detected when irradiating the CF2 radicals resulting from the IR multiple-photon dissociation (MPD) of jet-cooled CF2HCl molecules with an intense pulsed UV radiation (λ⩽244 nm). The experiments performed allowed us to conclude that the CF+ ions observed were produced in the UV multiphoton excitation of the CF2 radicals via the resonant intermediate state à 1B1, followed by their fragmentation and ionization. This effect was used to study the unimolecular decay of CF2HCl under molecular beam conditions. We measured the kinetics of this process, as well as the translational energies of the CF2 radicals. The isotopic selectivity of the IR MPD of 13CF2HCl was found to improve substantially under jet-cooled molecular beam conditions.