The Journal of chemical physics

Direct femtosecond observation of the transient intermediate in the α??cleavage reaction of (CH3) 2CO to 2CH3+ CO: Resolving the issue of concertedness

SK Kim, S Pedersen, AH Zewail

Index: Kim, Sang Kyu; Pedersen, Soren; Zewail, Ahmed H. Journal of Chemical Physics, 1995 , vol. 103, # 1 p. 477 - 480

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Citation Number: 121

Abstract

When a reaction involving two equivalent bonds has sufficient energy to break both of them, it can proceed by either a concerted or a stepwise mechanism. For Norrish type??I and other reactions, this issue has been controversial since direct time resolution of the individual C–C cleavage events was not possible. Here, for the elementary α??cleavage of acetone, we report on the femtosecond resolution of the intermediates using mass spectrometry. The ...