BEAM SCATTERING INVESTIGATION OF HYDRIDE-ION TRANSFER PROCESSES - REACTION CH3+ AND CD3+ WITH C2H(6)

The dynamics of the hydride-ion transfer between CH3+ (or CD3+) and C2 H6 was investigated in a crossed-beam scattering experiment at the col lision energy of 1.7 eV (c.m.). Formation of an osculating intermediat e complex of a mean lifetime of about 1 ps was inferred from the scatt ering data. The reaction of CD3+ leads to the ion products C2H5+ and C 2H2D3+ formed practically without H, D scrambling. The mechanism of th e process is viewed as a formation of a protonated propane intermediat e which decomposes from its critical configuration (CH3-H-CH2-CH3)(+) by splitting off a neutral methane molecule on either one or the other end with respect to the reactant ion attack.