SPECTROSCOPY OF JET-COOLED METAL MONOCYCLOPENTADIENYL COMPLEXES - LASER EXCITATION-SPECTRA OF CALCIUM AND CADMIUM CYCLOPENTADIENIDES

A laser vaporization/photolysis technique for obtaining spectra of jet-cooled organometallic molecules is reported. It makes use of an excimer laser which vaporizes a metal sample and simultaneously photolyzes an organic precursor passing over the surface of the metal. The metal atoms and organic fragments then react to yield the organometallic species. In principle, this approach could be used to prepare a wide variety of gas-phase compounds of any metal for spectroscopic study. To illustrate it capabilities, laser excitation spectra of the monocyclopentadienide and monomethyl derivatives of Ca and Cd are presented. In the case of cadmium cyclopentadienide, this report constitutes the first spectroscopic observation of this molecule.