A Valence Photoelectron Imaging Investigation of Chiral Asymmetry in the Photoionization of Fenchone and Camphor

Photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD) is investigated in the valence ionization of selected fenchone enantiomers using a photoelectron imaging technique and circularly polarized synchrotron radiation. Theoretical modelling of the results using electron scattering calculations demonstrates that the observed chiral asymmetry in the photoelectron angular distributions depends strongly upon the final state scattering, and upon the quality of the molecular potential used for these calculations. However, very pronounced dependence on the orbital from which ionization occurs is also observed. Comparison with analogous results previously obtained for camphor reveals striking differences in the PECD, even when the ionizing orbitals are themselves left substantially unaffected by the changes in methyl groups' substitution site. PECD measurements readily differentiate these molecules despite their very similar photoelectron spectra, demonstrating PECD to be a structurally sensitive probe.