Metastable Peaks in the Mass Spectra of N2O and NO2. II

Metastable peaks arising from the delayed unimolecular dissociation of NO+ to O++N in the mass spectra of both N2O and NO2 and from the dissociation of N2+ to N++N in the mass spectrum of N2O have been investigated. A new metastable dissociation of N2O2+ to NO++N+ was also studied. Further studies were made on the previously known metastable transitions of N2O+ to NO++N and of NO2+ to NO++O. The appearance potential, the kinetic-energy release in fragmentation, and the half-life were determined for each metastable transition. Comparisons were made of the energetic and half-life characteristics of the metastable NO+ ion as produced from the sources NO, N2O, and NO2, and of the metastable N2+ ion from the sources N2 and N2O. The results are consistent with the unimolecular dissociation of these diatomic ions, N2+ and NO+, proceeding by predissociation mechanisms.