The Ring-Closing Reaction of Cyclopentadiene Probed with Ultrafast X-ray Scattering.

ABSTRACT: The dynamics of cyclopentadiene (CP) following optical excitation at 243 nm was investigated by time-resolved pump-probe X-ray scattering using 16.2 keV X-rays at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). We present the first ultrafast structural evidence that the reaction leads directly to the formation of bicyclo[2.1.0]pentene (BP), a strained molecule with three- and four-membered rings. The bicyclic compound decays via a thermal backreaction to the vibrationally hot CP with a time constant of 21 ± 3 ps. A minor channel leads to ring-opened structures on a subpicosecond time scale.

SUBMITTER: Huang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11215772 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature