Dissociative Electron Attachment to Carbon Tetrachloride Molecules

Abstract

The carbon tetrachloride molecule (CCl₄) is considered to be a key molecule in electron attachment studies where it is used as a calibrating compound. In the paper, the fragmentation of the CCl₄ molecule upon the electron capture is investigated. The low energy electron attachment to CCl₄ was studied in the electron energy range from about 0 up to 10 eV with an electron energy beam resolution of about 50 meV. The electron attachment is shown to be a purely dissociative process for this molecule. In the experiment, four anionic fragments were detected: Cl^-, Cl₂^-, CCl₃^-, and CCl₂^-. The most abundant anion fragments formed through the dissociative electron attachment to CCl₄ is Cl^-. Based on the energetic properties of the fragments involved in anion formation, the respective energy thresholds for the reactions leading to the observed anion formation are provided and discussed. Additionally, rough values of cross-section for the detected anion are estimated.