Absolute vibrational and electronic cross sections for low-energy electron (2-12 eV) scattering from condensed pyrimidine.

Low-energy vibrational and electronic electron-energy-loss (EEL) spectra of pyrimidine condensed on a thin film of solid argon held at 18 K are reported for the incident-energy range of 2-12 eV. Sensitivity to symmetry and spin forbidden transitions as well as correlations to the triplet states of benzene make it possible to ascribe the main features, below 7 eV in the electronic part of the EEL spectrum, to triplet transitions. The lowest EEL feature with an energy onset at 3.5 eV is attributed to a transition to the (3)B(1)(n-->pi(*)) valence electronic state and the next triplet n-->pi(*) transition to a (3)A(2) state located around 4.5 eV. The remaining EEL features at 4.3, 5.2, 5.8, and 6.5 eV are all assigned to pi-->pi(*) transitions to states of symmetry (3)B(2), (3)A(1), (3)B(2), and (3)B(2)+(3)A(1), respectively. The most intense maximum at 7.6 eV is found to correspond to both (1)B(2) and (1)A(1) transitions, as in the vacuum ultraviolet spectra. Absolute inelastic cross sections per scatterer are derived from a single collision treatment described herein. Their values are found to lie within the 10(-17) cm(2) range for both the electronic and the vibrational excitations. Features in the energy dependence of the cross sections are discussed, whenever possible, by comparison with data and mechanisms found in the gas phase. A maximum over the 4-5 eV range is attributed to a B (2)B(1) shape resonance and another one observed in the 6-7 eV range is ascribed to either or both sigma(*) shape resonances of (2)A(1) and (2)B(2) symmetries.