Direct tracking of H2 roaming reaction in real time

Roaming is an unconventional type of molecular reaction where fragments, instead of immediately dissociating, remain weakly bound due to long-range Coulombic interactions. Due to its prevalence and ability to form new molecular compounds, roaming is fundamental to photochemical reactions in small molecules. However, the neutral character of the roaming fragment and its indeterminate trajectory make it difficult to identify experimentally. Here, we introduce an approach to image roaming, utilizing intense, femtosecond IR radiation combined with Coulomb explosion imaging to directly reconstruct the momentum vector of the neutral roaming H2, a precursor to $${{{{{{{{\rm{H}}}}}}}}_{3}}^{+}$$ H 3 + formation, in acetonitrile, CH3CN. This technique provides a kinematically complete picture of the underlying molecular dynamics and yields an unambiguous experimental signature of roaming. We corroborate these findings with quantum chemistry calculations, resolving this unique dissociative process.