Geometric effects on complex formation in collinear atom–diatom collisions

Trajectory studies on a variety of collinear collisions systems using a potential surface with a deep well are described. Two distinctly different modes of complex formation, dependent on system masses, are observed. One mode is limited to low translational energies whereas the other persists to high energies. Trajectory plots and simple geometric models are combined to provide a consistent interpretation of these mechanisms and of the observed oscillatory dependence, on system masses, of the reaction and complex formation probabilities.