Исследование образования антрацена и фенантрена в газовой фазе посредством укрупнения

Abstract

The study of aromatic and resonance-stabilized radicals reaction mechanisms is crucial for understanding molecular mass growth processes that lead to the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carbonaceous nanoparticles under various astrophysical conditions, such as molecular clouds and circumstellar envelopes as well as in combustion systems. This work presents an investigation of the gas-phase reaction between the methyl radical (CH₃•) and the fluorenyl radical (C₁₃H₉•), carried out using photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy (PEPICO) at high temperatures in a chemical microreactor. Among the reaction products, anthracene and phenanthrene were identified in an isomer-selective manner, allowing the proposal of two distinct formation mechanisms based on radical recombination and expansion of five-membered rings. These findings are of particular importance for understanding PAH growth and carbon structure formation under extreme conditions.