Knowledge Bank

When a mixture of C$2$H$4$ in a large excess of neon is codeposited at 4.3 K with a beam of neon atoms that have been excited in a microwave discharge, the infrared spectrum of the resulting solid includes absorptions of C$2$H$4$$+$. Experiments using isotopically substituted ethylene and density functional calculations support the proposed assignment, which is consistent with recent gas-phase threshold photoelectron spectroscopic observations. Evidence for the stabilization of other products, including the uncharged vinyl radical, will also be presented.