We report transient resonance Raman experiments that identify isodiiodomethane as the photoproduct responsible for the 385 nm absorption band observed following ultraviolet excitation of diiodomethane in liquid solutions. Comparison with previously reported gas-phase experiments and solution-phase resonance Raman and femtosecond transient absorption results suggest that solvation leads to appreciable production of the isodiiodomethane (H2C-I-I) photoproduct via the interaction of the initially formed CH2I and I fragments with the solvent cage. The isodiiodomethane photoproduct is likely the species or an intermediate to the species that reacts with alkenes in cyclopropanation reactions that use ultraviolet excitation of diiodomethane in liquids.

We have obtained transient resonance Raman spectra of the [CH2CHCH2]+ (allyl cation) produced following C-band excitation of cyclopropyl bromide. The experimental resonance Raman spectrum display an overtone progression in the nominal [C=C=C]+ stretch mode and its combination bands with the CH=CH2 rocking modes. Density functional theory computations were performed to estimate the vibrational frequencies for the allyl cation, the allyl radical, the cyclopropyl radical, the cyclopropyl bromide molecule and the gauche-allyl bromide molecule and compared to the experimental vibrational frequencies. This comparison indicates that the allyl cation can be formed as a product of cyclopropyl bromide photodissociation in acetonitrile solution.

We have obtained resonance Raman spectra and absolute Raman cross section measurements at five excitation wavelengths within the A-band absorption for 1-bromo-2-iodoethane in cyclohexane solution. The resonance Raman spectra have most of their intensity in the fundamentals, overtones, and combination bands of six Franck-Condon active vibrational modes; the nominal CCI bend, C-I stretch, C-Br stretch, C-C stretch, CH2 wag with the Br atom attached to the CH2 group, and CH2 wag with the I atom attached to the CH2 group. The resonance Raman intensities and A-band absorption spectrum were simulated using a simple model and time-dependent wave packet calculations. The simulation results and normal mode descriptions were used to find the short-time photodissociation dynamics in terms of internal coordinate displacements. The A-band short-time photodissociation dynamics for trans-1-bromo-2-iodoethane show that the C-I, C-Br, and C-C bonds as well as the CCI, CCBr, HCC, ICH, and BrCH angles have significant changes during the initial stages of the photodissociation reaction. This indicates the photodissociation reaction has a large degree of multidimensional character and suggests that the bromoethyl photofragment receives substantial internal excitation in so far as the short-time photodissociation dynamics determines the energy partitioning. Comparison of our results for 1-bromo-2-iodoethane with the A-band short-time dynamics of iodoethane, 1-chloro-2-iodoethane, and 1,2-diiodoethane and the trends observed for their A-band absorption spectra suggest that both the C-I and C-Br bonds experience a noticeable amount of photoexcitation.

We report density functional theory calculation results that examine the ultraviolet electronic transitions of CF2I2 and CH2I2. We make preliminary assignments of several transitions to the ultraviolet absorption spectra of CF2I2 and CH2I2. We compare our present results to previous experimental and computational work. We also examine the molecular orbitals involved in the electronic transitions assigned to the absorption spectra.

We report additional transient resonance Raman spectra and density functional theory computations for the products formed following ultraviolet photoexcitation of solution phase polyhalomethanes containing bromine and/or iodine atoms. We show that the iso-polyhalomethane photoproduct is responsible for the intense transient absorption band observed in the 350-470nm region after ultraviolet excitation of pnlyhalomethanes in the solutinn phase. We examine the trends and correlation in the density functional theory optimized geometry and intense electronic absorption transition in the 350-470 nm region for the iso-polyhalomethanes containing bromine and/or iodine atoms. We explore the chemical reactivity of the iso-polyhalomethane species using density functional theory computations for the reaction of iso-CH2-Br-Br with ethylene as an example. Our results and comparison with experimental data in the literature indicate that the iso-polyhalomethane species is most likely the methylene transfer agent in the cyclopropanation reactions of olefins using nltraviolet photoexcitation of polyhalomethanes in the solution phase. We briefly discuss the possibilitv that the photochemistry and chemistry of the iso-polyhalomethanes may give significant release of reactive halogens to the atmosphere.