Eur. Phys. J. D (2015) 69: 153
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2015-60189-1

Regular Article

Elastic scattering of low-energy electrons by CH₃CN and CH₃NC molecules

¹ Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Paraná, 81531-990 Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
² Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower St., London WC1E 6BT, UK

^a e-mail: milton@fisica.ufpr.br

Received: 19 March 2015
Received in final form: 27 April 2015
Published online: 11 June 2015

Abstract

Rotationally-summed elastic cross sections for electrons collisions with the isomers acetonitrile and methyl isocyanide are reported. Theoretical differential and integral cross sections are calculated using the UK molecular R-matrix codes in the energy range from 1 eV to 10 eV. The dynamic interaction is represented within a static-exchange plus polarization model based on the use of an extensive orbital sets. Both molecule have a large permanent dipole moment and a Born closure procedure is used to get more reliable cross sections. These molecules show low-energy, π^∗ resonances at 2.4 and 2.7 eV for CH₃CN and CH₃NC, respectively; and very broad σ^∗ ones at about 6 eV. Our results suggest that electron collisions with CH₃CN / CH₃NC show similar properties to those found for electron collisions with HCN / HNC.