Near-threshold electron energy-loss (0-9 eV) and optical absorption (5-11.8 eV) spectroscopy of trifluoronitrosomethane (CF ₃NO)

The number of known electronic transitions in trifluoronitrosomethane (CF₃NO) has been extended using VUV absorption and near-threshold electron energy-loss (EEL) spectroscopy. The lowest triplet (T₁) state has been located at ca. 1.1 eV (ca. 1130 nm), ca. 0.7 eV below the corresponding singlet (S₁) state. An optical absorption at ca. 8.8 eV (ca. 140 nm) is assigned to excitation of the pp* state; other VUV bands at 7.7 (ca. 160 nm) and 6.4 eV (ca. 195 nm) are tentatively assigned n_- 3s and n₊ p*, respectively, where n_- and n₊ are antisymmetric and symmetric combinations of N and O lone-pair orbitals, respectively. Dissociative electron attachment is observed at ca. 0, 1 and 6.2 eV.