Open AccessPhotodissociation of dicarbon: How nature breaks an unusual multiple bond
Author(s) -
Jasmin Borsovszky,
Klaas Nauta,
Jun Jiang,
Christopher S. Hansen,
L. K. McKemmish,
Robert W. Field,
John F. Stanton,
Scott H. Kable,
Timothy W. Schmidt
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2113315118
Subject(s) - photodissociation , dissociation (chemistry) , bond dissociation energy , molecule , physics , atomic physics , photon , photochemistry , bond energy , interstellar medium , chemistry , astrophysics , optics , quantum mechanics , galaxy
Significance It has long been observed that the coma of a comet is often green while its tail is not. While the explanation for this must be that the molecules responsible for the green emission, C2 , are photodissociated, the mechanism was, until now, unknown. We have observed the photodissociation of C2 in the laboratory for the first time and, in doing so, have determined its bond dissociation energy with unprecedented precision. Invoking the observed mechanism, the calculated lifetime of cometary C2 is found to be consistent with astronomical observations.