Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview01:20

Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview

5.2K
The ionization of a molecule into a molecular ion inside the mass spectrometer causes instability in the molecule's structure due to the loss of an electron. This eventually leads to the fragmentation or breaking of some bonds in the molecule. The fragmentation occurs predominantly at specific bonds to yield relatively stable fragments.
One type of fragmentation pattern is the cleavage of a single bond in the molecular ion. The cleavage leads to a radical and a cation. The cleavage can occur at...
5.2K
Radical Formation: Homolysis00:54

Radical Formation: Homolysis

4.1K
A bond is formed between two atoms by sharing two electrons. When this bond is broken by supplying sufficient energy, either two electrons can be taken up by one atom forming ions by the cleavage called heterolysis, or the two electrons are shared by two atoms, with one each creating radicals by the cleavage called homolysis.
4.1K
Mass Spectrometry: Carboxylic Acid, Ester, and Amide Fragmentation01:01

Mass Spectrometry: Carboxylic Acid, Ester, and Amide Fragmentation

2.2K
The fragmentation patterns observed for compounds such as carboxylic acids, esters, and amides in the mass spectra include ⍺-cleavage and McLafferty rearrangement. Fragmentation by ⍺-cleavage preferentially occurs at the carbon-carbon bond at the ⍺-position next to the carboxylic group to generate a neutral radical and a cation. Long chain compounds with hydrogen at their γ-carbon undergo McLafferty rearrangement to give a radical cation and a neutral alkene.
For example, the...
2.2K
Bond Dissociation Energy and Activation Energy02:13

Bond Dissociation Energy and Activation Energy

10.5K
Bond energy is the energy required to break a bond homolytically. These values are usually expressed in units of kcal/mol or kJ/mol and are referred to as bond dissociation energies when given for specific bonds or average bond energies when indicated for a given type of bond over many compounds. Firstly, the bond dissociation energy for a single bond is weaker than that of a double bond, which in turn is weaker than that of a triple bond. Secondly, hydrogen forms relatively strong bonds with...
10.5K
Acid Halides to Carboxylic Acids: Hydrolysis01:01

Acid Halides to Carboxylic Acids: Hydrolysis

3.4K
Hydrolysis of acid halides is a nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction in which acid halides react with water to give carboxylic acids. The reaction occurs readily and does not require acid or a base catalyst.
As shown below, the mechanism involves a nucleophilic attack by water at the carbonyl carbon to form a tetrahedral intermediate. This is followed by the reformation of the carbon–oxygen π bond along with the departure of a halide ion. A final proton transfer step yields carboxylic...
3.4K
Radical Formation: Overview01:03

Radical Formation: Overview

2.5K
A bond can be broken either by heterolytic bond cleavage to form ions or homolytic bond cleavage to yield radicals. A fishhook arrow is used to represent the motion of a single electron in homolytic bond cleavage. There are two main sources from which radicals can be formed:
Radicals from spin-paired molecules:
Radicals can be obtained from spin-paired molecules either by homolysis or electron transfer. While two radicals are formed in the former, an electron is added in the...
2.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A Gauss-Radau-Laguerre Discrete Variable Representation for Use in Continuum Electron Dynamics.

The journal of physical chemistry. A·2026
Same author

Utility of anaerobic blood cultures in the clinical management of infectious patients.

Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease·2025
Same author

Dynamics of hydride anion and acetyloxyl radical production by electron attachment to acetic acid.

The Journal of chemical physics·2024
Same author

Tracking ultrafast non-adiabatic dissociation dynamics of the deuterated water dication molecule.

The Journal of chemical physics·2024
Same author

Direct Measurement of Charge Transfer Probability during Photodissociation of Few-keV OD<sup>+</sup> Beam.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2024
Same author

Contrasting Dynamics in Isoelectronic Anions Formed by Electron Attachment.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F&#8722;
06:53

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F−

Published on: July 27, 2018

9.0K

Selective bond-breaking in formic acid by dissociative electron attachment.

D S Slaughter1, Th Weber, A Belkacem

  • 1Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. DSSlaughter@lbl.gov.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|June 17, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Dissociative electron attachment to formic acid produces hydrogen anions (H-) via Feshbach resonances. Deuteration studies distinguished C-H and O-H bond breaking pathways, revealing state-specific dissociation mechanisms.

More Related Videos

Covalent Attachment of Single Molecules for AFM-based Force Spectroscopy
10:37

Covalent Attachment of Single Molecules for AFM-based Force Spectroscopy

Published on: March 16, 2020

10.1K
Measurement of Ultrafast Vibrational Coherences in Polyatomic Radical Cations with Strong-Field Adiabatic Ionization
08:22

Measurement of Ultrafast Vibrational Coherences in Polyatomic Radical Cations with Strong-Field Adiabatic Ionization

Published on: August 6, 2018

7.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F&#8722;
06:53

Photoelectron Imaging of Anions Illustrated by 310 Nm Detachment of F−

Published on: July 27, 2018

9.0K
Covalent Attachment of Single Molecules for AFM-based Force Spectroscopy
10:37

Covalent Attachment of Single Molecules for AFM-based Force Spectroscopy

Published on: March 16, 2020

10.1K
Measurement of Ultrafast Vibrational Coherences in Polyatomic Radical Cations with Strong-Field Adiabatic Ionization
08:22

Measurement of Ultrafast Vibrational Coherences in Polyatomic Radical Cations with Strong-Field Adiabatic Ionization

Published on: August 6, 2018

7.2K

Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Chemical Physics
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics

Background:

  • Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) is a key process in understanding molecular fragmentation.
  • Formic acid (HCOOH) is a fundamental molecule with significant implications in various chemical environments.
  • Investigating DEA to HCOOH provides insights into fundamental electron-molecule interactions and bond cleavage dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms of H- fragment ion formation during DEA to formic acid in the 6-9 eV energy range.
  • To differentiate between C-H and O-H bond scission pathways using isotopic substitution.
  • To elucidate the role of Feshbach resonances in the dissociation of formic acid.

Main Methods:

  • Joint experimental and theoretical study of dissociative electron attachment.
  • Experimental measurements utilizing deuteration of formic acid at either the C-H or O-H site.
  • Theoretical calculations of Feshbach resonance states and their dissociation dynamics.
  • Analysis of anion fragment angular distributions.

Main Results:

  • Hydrogen anions (H-) are identified as dominant products in the 6-9 eV region.
  • Two or possibly three Feshbach resonance states contribute to H- formation.
  • One resonance state leads to C-H or O-H bond scission, while another exclusively produces formyloxyl radicals via O-H bond scission.
  • Experimental and theoretical angular distributions confirm state-specific dissociation pathways.

Conclusions:

  • The study successfully distinguishes between C-H and O-H bond breaking in formic acid via DEA.
  • Feshbach resonances play a critical role in directing the fragmentation pathways.
  • Detailed understanding of electron-induced bond cleavage in small molecules is advanced.