The sequential ethene (C
2H
4) loss channels of energy-selected ethylphosphine ions have been stu
died usingthreshold photoelectron photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) spectroscopy in which ion time-of-flight (TOF)
distributions are recorded as a function of the photon energy. The ion TOF
distributions and breakdown
diagrams have been modeled in terms of the statistical RRKM theory for unimolecular reactions, provi
ding0 K
dissociation onsets,
E0, for the ethene loss channels. Three RRKM curves were used to model the fivemeasurements, since two of the reactions
differ only by the internal energy of the parent ion. This series of
dissociations provides a detailed check of the calculation of the product energy
distribution for sequentialreactions. From the determined
E0's, the heats of formation of several ethylphosphine neutrals and ions havebeen determined:
fH298K[P(C
2H
5)
3] = -152.7 ± 2.8 kJ/mol,
fH298K[P(C
2H
5)
3+] = 571.6 ± 4.0 kJ/mol,
fH298K[HP(C
2H
5)
2] = -89.6 ± 2.1 kJ/mol,
fH298K[HP(C
2H
5)
2+] = 669.9 ± 2.5 kJ/mol,
fH298K[H
2PC
2H
5] = -36.5 ± 1.5 kJ/mol,
fH298K[H
2PC
2H
5+] = 784.0 ± 1.9 kJ/mol. These values have been supportedby G2 and G3 calculations using isodesmic reactions. Coupled cluster calculations have been used to showthat the C
2H
4 loss channel, which involves a hydrogen transfer step, proceeds without a reverse energy barrier.