Double Ionization to CO2 Produces Molecular Oxygen: A Roaming Mechanism

We report a combined experimental and theoretical study on the formation of O2+ by electronimpact double ionization and fragmentation of carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule. Through fragment ions and electron coincidence momentum imaging, we determine unambiguously the ionization mechanism by measuring the projectile energy loss in association with the C+ + O2+ channel. Further potential energy and trajectory calculations enable us to elucidate the dynamical details of this fragmentation process, in which a bond rearrangement pathway is found to proceed via the structural deformation to a triangular intermediate. Moreover, we demonstrate a new roaming pathway for formation of O2+ from CO22+, in which a frustrated C-O bond cleavage leaves the O atom without sufficient energy to escape. The O atom then wanders around varied configuration spaces of the flat potential energy regions and forms a C-O-O2+ intermediate prior to the final products C+ + O2+. Considering the large quantities of free electrons in interstellar space, the processes revealed here are expected to be significant and should be incorporated into atmospheric evolution models.