Proceedings Of The 1999 Conference On Dissociative Recombination

Dissociative recombination is a complex molecular process that occurs in any plasma cold enough to contain molecular constituents. It is the dominant recombination process in planetary ionospheres and interstellar clouds. In this book, recent developments in the fields of molecular ion physics, atomic and molecular theory, astrochemistry, aeronomy and plasma physics are discussed.

Dissociative recombination is a complex molecular process that occurs in any plasma cold enough to contain molecular constituents. It is the dominant recombination process in planetary ionospheres and interstellar clouds. In this book, recent developments in the fields of molecular ion physics, atomic and molecular theory, astrochemistry, aeronomy and plasma physics are discussed.

Dissociative Recombination of Molecular Ions with Electrons is a comprehensive collection of refereed papers describing the latest developments in dissociative recombination research. The papers are written by the leading researchers in the field. The topics covered include the use of microwave afterglows, merged beams and storage rings to measure rate coefficients and to identify the products and their yields. The molecules studied range in size from the smallest, H2+, to bovine insulin ions. The theoretical papers cover the important role of Rydberg states and the use of wave packets and quantum defect theory to deduce cross sections, rate constants and quantum yields. Several theoretical and experimental papers address the controversial topic of H3+ dissociative recombination and its importance in the interstellar medium. Dissociative recombination studies of other molecular ions in the interstellar medium and in cometary and planetary atmospheres are covered. Ionization is an important competitive process to dissociative recombination and its competition with predissociation and its role in the reverse process of the association of neutral species is presented. Dissociative attachment, in which an electron attaches to a neutral molecule, has many similarities to dissociative recombination. The topics covered include the accurate calculation of electron affinities, attachment to molecules, clusters, and to species absorbed on solid surfaces and electron scattering by a molecular anion.

I Reactivity: E. Uggerud: Physical Organic Chemistry of the Gas Phase. Reactivity Trends for Organic Cations.- S. Petrie, D.K. Bohme: Mass Spectrometric Approaches to Interstellar Chemistry.- F. Turecek: Transient Intermediates of Chemical Reactions by Neutralization-Reionization Mass Spectrometry.- II Metalorganic Chemistry: D. Schröder, H. Schwarz: Diastereoselective Effects in Gas-Phase Ion Chemistry.- D.A. Plattner: Metalorganic Chemistry in the Gas Phase: Insight into Catalysis.- III Mass Spectrometric Methodology: T. Wyttenbach, M.T. Bowers: Gas-Phase Conformations: The Ion Mobility/Ion Chromatography Method.- P.B. Armentrout: Threshold Collision-Induced Dissociations for the Determination of Accurate Gas-Phase Binding Energies and Reaction Barriers.- IV Medicinal Chemistry: S.A. Trauger, T. Junker, G. Siuzdak: Investigating Viral Proteins and Intact Viruses with Mass Spectrometry M. Brönstrup: High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry for Compound Characterization in Drug Discovery.

This volume contains contributions covering a wide range of subjects in the area of photonic, electronic and atomic collisions. These include the collisions of heavy particles and electrons with atoms, molecules and clusters; the coherent control of reaction dynamics using lasers and electromagnetic fields with molecules, clusters and liquids; recent experimental progress in the synthesis of antihydrogen; the interaction of solar winds with cometary atmospheres, and the physical interpretation of reactions in biological systems./a