Laser photolysis of ND4. and trimethylamine formed by collisional neutralization of their cations in the gas phase

An experimental method is presented which utilizes 488 and 514.5 nm photons from an argon-ion laser to probe excited electronic states of neutral species formed by femtosecond collisional neutralization of cations and cation-radicals. Only a minor fraction of metastable ND4. from neutralization of ND4+ is formed in ionizable electronic states. The dominant fraction is formed in the ground 2A1(3s) state which is photodissociated to ND3 and ND2.. Trimethylamine from neutralization of its cation radical is stable towards photoionixation and photolysis and is likely to be formed in its 1A1 ground electronic state.