Ne*(3P2,0) + CO chemi-ionization reactions: Atomic alignment and molecular orientation effects

Abstract

The present study exploits the recent formulation of the optical potential that provided an internally consistent representation of the interaction between Ne*(3P2,0) + CO reagents and Ne + CO+(X2Σ, A2Π) products. The coupling between neutral entrance and ionic exit reaction channels, to isolate novel stereo-dynamic effects on chemical reactivity promoted by both atomic alignment and molecular orientation, has been proposed within the adopted theoretical approach. The control exhibited by such effects on each microscopic passage from reagents to products in defined initial and final quantum states has been characterized. In particular, the collisions of reagents in selected quantum states lead to the formation of the reaction transition state in specific configurations that open the passage to ionic products in the ground and in the first excited electronic state. Therefore, the characterization of state-to-state passages from reactants to products, often unknown, appears to be of great general interest for the stereo-dynamic control of these and many other elementary processes.