Dissociative photoionization of m-xylene

The photoionization and dissociative photoionization of m-xylene (C₈H₁₀) were researched by using synchrotron radiation vacuum ultraviolet (SR-VUV) and supersonic expanding molecular beam reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (RFTOF-MS) system. The photoionization efficiency spectra (PIEs) of parent ion C₈H₁₀⁺ and main fragment ions C₈H₉⁺ and C₇H₇⁺ were observed, and the ionization energy (IE) of m-xylene and appearance energies (AEs) of main fragment ions C₈H₉⁺ and C₇H₇⁺ were determined to be 8.60±0.03 eV, 11.76±0.04 eV and 11.85±0.05 eV, respectively. Structures of reactant, transition states (TSs), intermediates (INTs), and products involved in two dominant dissociation channels were optimized at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level, and the relative energies were calculated at the G3 level. Based on the results, two major dissociative photoionization channels, C₇H₇⁺+CH₃ and C₈H₉⁺+H were calculated at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level. On the basis of theoretical and experimental results, the dissociative photoionization mechanisms of m-xylene were proposed. The C–H or C–C bond dissociation and hydrogen migration are the main processes in the dissociation channels of m-xylene cation.