Crossed beam reaction of the cyano radical, CN(X 2Σ+), with methylacetylene, CH3CCH (X 1A1): Observation of cyanopropyne, CH3CCCN (X 1A1), and cyanoallene, H2CCCHCN (X 1A′)

The chemical dynamics to form cyanopropyne, CH3CCCN (X 1A1), and cyanoallene, H2CCCHCN (X 1A′), via the neutral–neutral reaction of the cyano radical, CN (X 2Σ+), with methylacetylene, CH3CCH (X 1A1), is investigated under single collision conditions in a crossed molecular beam experiment at a collision energy of 24.7 kJ mol−1. The laboratory angular distribution and time-of-flight spectra of the C4H3N products are recorded at m/e=65, 64, 63, and 62. The reaction of d3-methylacetylene, CD3CCH (X 1A1), with CN radicals yields reactive scattering signal at m/e=68 and m/e=67 demonstrating that two distinct H(D) atom loss channels are open. Forward-convolution fitting of the laboratory data reveal that the reaction dynamics are indirect and governed by an initial attack of the CN radical to the π electron density of the β carbon atom of the methylacetylene molecule to form a long lived CH3CCHCN collision complex. The latter decomposes via two channels, i.e., H atom loss from the CH3 group to yield cyanoallene...