The dissociation energy of the new diatomic molecules SiPb and GePb

The diatomic molecules SiPb and GePb were for the first time identified by producing high temperature vapors of the constituent pure elements in a "double-oven-like" molecular-effusion assembly. The partial pressures of the atomic, heteronuclear, and homonuclear gaseous species observed in the vapor, namely, Si, Ge, Pb, SiPb, GePb, Pb-2, Ge-n, and Si-n (n=2-3), were mass-spectrometrically measured in the overall temperature ranges 1753-1961 K (Ge-Pb) and 1992-2314 K (Si-Pb). The dissociation energies of the new species were determined by second- and third-law analyses of both the direct dissociation reactions and isomolecular exchange reactions involving homonuclear molecules. The selected values of the dissociation energies at 0 K (D-0(degrees)) are 165.1 +/- 7.3 and 141.6 +/- 6.9 kJ/mol, respectively, for SiPb and GePb, and the corresponding enthalpies of formation (Delta H-f(0)degrees) are 476.4 +/- 7.3 and 419.3 +/- 6.9 kJ/mol. The ionization efficiency curves of the two species were measured, giving the following values for the first ionization energies: 7.0 +/- 0.2 eV (SiPb) and 7.1 +/- 0.2 eV (GePb). A computational study of the species SiPb and GePb was also carried out at the CCSD(T) level of theory using the relativistic electron core potential approach. Molecular parameters, adiabatic ionization energies, adiabatic electron affinities, and dissociation energies of the title species were calculated, as well as the enthalpy changes of the exchange reactions involving the other Pb-containing diatomics of group 14. Finally, a comparison between the experimental and theoretical results is presented, and from a semiempirical correlation the unknown dissociation energies of the SiSn and PbC molecules are predicted as 234 +/- 7 and 185 +/- 11 kJ/mol, respectively. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.