Application of continuous wave quantum cascade laser in combination with CIVP spectroscopy for investigation of large organic and organometallic ions.

Rapidly developing mid-infrared quantum cascade laser (QCL) technology gives easy access to broadly tunable mid-IR laser radiation at a modest cost. Despite several applications of QCL in the industry, its usage for spectroscopic investigation of synthetically relevant organic compounds has been limited. Here, we report the application of an external cavity, continuous wave, mid-IR QCL to cryogenic ion vibrational predissociation spectroscopy to analyze a set of large organic molecules, organometallic complexes, and isotopically labeled compounds. The obtained spectra of test molecules are characterized by a high signal-to-noise ratio and low full width at half-maximum-values, allowing the assignment of two compounds with just a few wavenumber difference. Data generated by cw-QCL and spectra produced by another standard Nd:YAG difference-frequency generation system are compared and discussed.