Coulomb explosion velocity-map imaging is a new and potentially universal probe for gas-phase chemical dynamics studies, capable of yielding direct information on (time-evolving) molecular structure. The approach relies on a detailed understanding of the mapping between the initial atomic positions within the molecular structure of interest and the final velocities of the fragments formed via Coulomb explosion. Comprehensive on-the-fly ab initio trajectory studies of the Coulomb explosion dynamics are presented for two prototypical small molecules, formyl chloride and cis-1,2-dichloroethene, in order to explore conditions under which reliable structural information can be extracted from fragment velocity-map images. It is shown that for low parent ion charge states, the mapping from initial atomic positions to final fragment velocities is complex and very sensitive to the parent ion charge state as well as many other experimental and simulation parameters. For high-charge states, however, the mapping is much more straightforward and dominated by Coulombic interactions (moderated, if appropriate, by the requirements of overall spin conservation). This study proposes minimum requirements for the high-charge regime, highlights the need to work in this regime in order to obtain robust structural information from fragment velocity-map images, and suggests how quantitative structural information may be extracted from experimental data.
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14 November 2020
Research Article|
November 12 2020
Coulomb explosion imaging for gas-phase molecular structure determination: An ab initio trajectory simulation study
Weiwei Zhou
;
Weiwei Zhou
a)
1
Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory
, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
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Lingfeng Ge (葛聆沨)
;
Lingfeng Ge (葛聆沨)
2
School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
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Graham A. Cooper
;
Graham A. Cooper
b)
2
School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
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Stuart W. Crane
;
Stuart W. Crane
2
School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
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Michael H. Evans;
Michael H. Evans
2
School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
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Michael N. R. Ashfold
;
Michael N. R. Ashfold
2
School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
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Claire Vallance
Claire Vallance
c)
1
Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory
, 12 Mansfield Rd., Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
c)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: claire.vallance@chem.ox.ac.uk
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a)
Present address: National Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry Imaging (NiCE-MSI), National Physical Laboratory, Teddington TW11 0LW, United Kingdom.
b)
Present address: Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, 601 S College Ave., Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
c)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: claire.vallance@chem.ox.ac.uk
J. Chem. Phys. 153, 184201 (2020)
Article history
Received:
August 11 2020
Accepted:
October 25 2020
Citation
Weiwei Zhou, Lingfeng Ge, Graham A. Cooper, Stuart W. Crane, Michael H. Evans, Michael N. R. Ashfold, Claire Vallance; Coulomb explosion imaging for gas-phase molecular structure determination: An ab initio trajectory simulation study. J. Chem. Phys. 14 November 2020; 153 (18): 184201. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0024833
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