DISSOCIATIVE ELECTRON-ATTACHMENT TO CCL4 - LIFETIME OF THE CCL4-ASTERISK INTERMEDIATE

Dissociative electron attachment to CCl4 is studied by measuring the a ngular and velocity distribution of Cl- ions produced in collisions wi th velocity selected K(np) Rydberg atoms. Analysis of the data using a Monte Carlo collision code that models the detailed kinematics of the reaction indicates that the lifetime of the CCl4- intermediate initi ally formed by Rydberg electron capture is 7.5+/-2.5 ps and that, upon dissociation, only a small. fraction of the excess energy of reaction appears as translational energy of the Cl- and CCl3 fragments. (C) 19 96 American Institute of Physics.