Photoelectron spectroscopy of OH 2 „ N 2 O ... n 5 1 – 5

The 351 nm photoelectron spectra of OH~N2O!n , n51 – 5, are reported. Each spectrum is composed of a single broad feature that shifts toward higher electron binding energy as the number of solvent molecules increases. Analysis of OH~N2O! spectra at ion temperatures of 200 and 300 K shows that there is significant intensity in the 00 0 transition, and that transitions to the dissociative region of the OH1N2O potential energy surface are also accessed. The electron affinity of OH~N2O! is estimated to be 2.1460.02 eV, from which the OH–N2O bond dissociation energy is calculated as 0.39 eV. The photoelectron spectra of OH~N2O!n.1 are accurately modeled as the convolution of the OH~N2O! spectrum with the OH ~N2O!n21 . The anion vertical detachment energies and the adiabatic electron affinities for OH~N2O!n52 – 5 are obtained and the thresholds for stepwise dissociation of N2O are located, indicating that photodetachment accesses multiple dissociation channels. © 1998 American Institute of Physics. @S0021-9606~98!02403-9#