Rotational distribution of the HCl products from the reaction of Cl(2P) atoms with methanol

The rotational quantum state population distribution of the nascent HCl (v′=0) products of the reaction of Cl(2P) atoms with methanol has been measured using photoinitiation of reaction and 2+1 resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization detection of the products. At an average reagent collision energy of 5.6 kcal mol−1, the HCl (v′=0) is formed in a distribution of rotational states which peaks at J′=3–5, and has a mean rotational energy of 〈Erot〉=262±25 cm−1 (1σ errors). The results are interpreted with reference to recent ab initio calculations of the energetics of the reaction pathway [J.T. Jodkowski et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 102 (1998) 9230], and comparisons are drawn with the much colder rotational distributions for the HCl products of reaction of Cl(2P) atoms with alkanes.