a) What is the meaning of the acronym “QET”?
QET stands for quasi-equilibrium theory.
b) What type of reactions does QET describe?
QET has been developed to describe the reactions of isolated gas phase ions, i.e., unimolecular reactions.
c) Do you memorize some basic assumptions of QET?
In brief, they are:
1. The initial ionization is “vertical”.
2. The molecular ion will have an odd electron. Radiationless transitions will result in transfer of electronic energy into vibrational energy.
3. The molecular ions will not dissociate immediately.
4. The rates of dissociation of the molecular ion are determined by the energy distribution over the ion.
5. Rearrangements of the ions can occur in a similar fashion.
6. If the initial molecular ion has sufficient energy, the fragment ion will in turn have enough energy to undergo further decomposition.