Y. Hurwitz et al., REACTANT ROTATIONAL ENERGY EFFECT ON ENERGY-DISTRIBUTION IN PRODUCTS - THE ROLE OF THE ELECTRONIC ANGULAR-MOMENTUM, Chemical physics letters, 215(6), 1993, pp. 674-680
In reactions of O(D-1) with CH4 clusters, CD4 and propane, monomers an
d clusters, preference for the (2) Pi(3/2) spin-orbit state of the OH
product is observed. New results on the effect of the initial rotation
al temperature of propane on the spin-orbit slates distribution are pr
esented. The preference for the (2) Pi(3/2) state and the rotational e
nergy effect are attributed to conservation of electronic angular mome
ntum during curve crossing in the entrance channel and to conservation
of the projection of the electronic angular momentum on the internucl
ear axis through the reaction. A quantitative model rationalizes all t
he experimental observations.