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Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Computation of Atmospheric Concentrations of Molecular Clusters from ab initio Thermochemistry
Published on: April 8, 2020
Rich Athermal Ground-State Chemistry Triggered by Dynamics through a Conical Intersection.
Benoit Mignolet1,2, Basile F E Curchod1,2, Todd J Martínez1,2
1Department of Chemistry and the PULSE Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
Excited-state reactions can produce diverse products through nonstatistical pathways. This study reveals that a single conical intersection in sulfines leads to nine distinct products via athermal hot ground state reactions within a picosecond.
Area of Science:
- Chemical kinetics
- Photochemistry
- Theoretical chemistry
Background:
- Statistical rate theories assume rapid vibrational relaxation.
- Excited-state reactions are fast (sub-picosecond) and can be nonstatistical.
- Photoproduct diversity is often attributed to multiple conical intersections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of photoproduct diversity in sulfines.
- To determine if athermal hot ground state reactions contribute to product distribution.
- To explore the role of conical intersections in excited-state dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Computational modeling of excited-state dynamics.
- Analysis of reaction pathways following electronic transitions.
- Spectroscopic characterization of photoproducts (implied).
Main Results:
- A single conical intersection governs the electronic transition in sulfines.
- The excited-state reaction proceeds through athermal hot ground state pathways.
- Nine distinct photoproducts are formed in less than a picosecond.
Conclusions:
- Athermal hot ground state reactions are responsible for the observed photoproduct diversity in sulfines.
- Nonstatistical behavior in excited-state reactions can arise from a single conical intersection.
- This challenges the traditional view linking product diversity solely to multiple conical intersections.
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