Bimolecular state-selective chemistry has been performed using the technique of crossed molecular beams. Systems of current study involve transition metal atoms (M) interacting with small hydrocarbons, in particular: Mo + CH₄, Zr + C₂H₄, and V + C₂H₄. Atomic metal reactants are prepared state-specifically by laser excitation followed by radiative decay. Nascent products were allowed to drift to a triply differentially pumped detector where they were ionized by either conventional electron impact or VUV photoionization and counted to obtain product angular and velocity distributions. C-H bond activation was observed for the former two systems, but not for the V systems. This behavior is rationalized in terms of the electronic configurations of the atomic reactants.

Keywords: transition metal, molecular beams, photoionization, bond activation

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: hfd1@cornell.edu