Study of the N2O Molecule Using Electron Beams

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Abstract
Inelastic processes and negative ion formation in N2O are measured using the trapped‐electron method and conventional techniques, respectively. A large inelastic process is observed at 2.2 ev and is interpreted as the formation of vibrationally excited N2O via the formation of a temporary negative ion state. Negative ions O− are observed beginning at zero ev with peaks of the negative ion current occurring at 0.7 and 2.2 ev. The latter peak is attributed to the formation of the temporary negative ion with subsequent decay into a stable O− plus N2 in various states of vibrational excitation. Measurements of the kinetic energy of the negative ions confirm this hypothesis. A value of the dissociation energy of the N2–O bond in N2O is found from the appearance potential of O− extrapolated to zero kinetic energy. This value, D (N2–O) = 1.2±0.2 ev, agrees within experimental error with the value of 1.3±0.2 found independently by Curran and Fox, but disagrees with the thermochemical value of 1.66 ev.