Dissociative electron attachment reactions of transition metal carbonyls and their apparent influence on the thermalization of electrons by CO2

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Abstract
Dissociative electron attachment rates are measured for the transition metal carbonyls V(CO)6, Cr(CO)6, Fe(CO)5, Ni(CO)4, Mo(CO)6, and W(CO)6. Rates are measured as a function of the pressure of CO2 added to relax epithermal electrons. Derived thermal rate constants for the formation of M(CO)−n−1 from M(CO)n are 0.6, 3.0, 2.0, 2.0, 1.3, and 1.2×10−7 cm3 molecule−1 s−1, respectively. The differences in these rate constants may be attributed to the different stabilities of the molecular anion with regard to dissociation versus autodetachment. The measured rate of thermalization of electrons by CO2 varies with the metal carbonyl used and depends on the variation of the dissociative electron capture cross section with electron energy. Each system is thus tightly coupled in that the electron energy distribution is determined not only by collisional processes involving CO2 but varies as well with the energy dependent depletion of the distribution by reactant species.