Ricerc@Sapienza

A photoelectron-photoion-photoion coincidence technique, using an ion imaging detector and tunable synchrotron radiation in the 18.0-37.0 eV photon energy range, inducing the ejection of molecular valence electrons, has been applied to study the double ionization of the propylene oxide, a simple prototype chiral molecule. The experiment performed at the Elettra Synchrotron Facility (Trieste, Italy) allowed to determine angular distributions for ions produced by the two-body dissociation reactions following the Coulomb explosion of the intermediate (C3H6O)(2+) molecular dication.

An experimental investigation on the fragmentation dynamics following the double photoionization of simple organic molecules of astrochemical interest, propylene oxide and N-methylformamide molecules, induced by VUV photons has been reported. Experiments used linearly polarized light in the 18-37 eV (propylene oxide) and 26-45 eV (N-methylformamide) photon energy range at the ELETTRA Synchrotron Facility of Trieste (Italy), coupling ion imaging and electron-ion-ion coincidence techniques with time-of-flight mass spectrometry.