Scattering state spectroscopy of the reaction Mg*(3s3p1P1)+CH4→MgH(v=0,1;N)+CH3

We report scattering state spectroscopic studies of the chemical quenching dynamics of Mg*(3p(P-1)) by CH4. We have measured the final-state resolved action spectra for the MgH(v = 1,N) reactive product channels, following excitation of the Mg*(3p)-CH4 transient bimolecular collision complex. As in earlier work on the ground vibrational state of the product, we have found a strong electronic orbital alignment effect: Reaction to the vibrationally excited product follows only on the attractive excited potential-energy surfaces in "Pi-like" symmetry. For both MgH(v =0 and 1) product channels we have found that the rotational quantum state distribution is independent of laser excitation wavelength, indicating that the rotational energy partitioning is determined by exit channel dynamics. However, our results show that the product vibrational energy disposal is a function of excitation laser wavelength, suggesting that the vibrational energy partitioning is correlated with the collisional impact parameter. We have also carried out a careful search for the MgCH3 reactive product in this system, finding no evidence for any observable branching to this product. We discuss the implications of these results for the chemical dynamics of this metal-alkane reaction system. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.