Photochemistry of Amylene Double Bond in Clusters on Free Argon Nanoparticles

We have investigated reactivity of double bond in 2-methyl-2-butene (also trimethylethylene or amylene) in the excited and ionized states. In a combined experimental and theoretical study, we focused on both the intermolecular and intramolecular reactions. In a molecular beam experiment, we have sequentially picked up several amylene molecules on the surface of argon nanoparticles Ar_M, M̅ ≈ 90, acting as a cold support. Ionization with 70 eV electrons yields mass spectra strongly dominated by amylene cluster ions Am(Am)_n⁺. Interestingly, upon multiphoton ionization with 193 nm (6.4 eV) photons, a new strong fragment series appears in the spectra, nominally corresponding to an addition of two carbon atoms, i.e., (Am)_nC₂⁺. This difference between electron and photoionization suggests a reaction in an excited state of amylene with a neighboring amylene molecule. We used techniques of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics to study the reactivity of amylene molecules both in the excited and in ionized states. Possible reaction pathways are proposed, substantiating the observed differences between the electron ionization and photoionization mass spectra.