Electronic Transition of Ferrocenium: Neon Matrix and CASPT2 Studies

Electronic absorptions of ferrocenium starting at 632.5 nm were measured in a 6 K neon matrix following mass-selective deposition of the ions. The spectrum shows clear vibrational structure and provides the best-yet resolved view of the electronic states of this cation. The absorption system is identified as the 1 2E1′ ← X 2E2′ transition (D5h symmmetry) on the basis of vertical excitation energies and oscillator strengths calculated at the CASPT2 level. Vibrational bands in the spectrum are assigned with the aid of the ground-state frequencies calculated with the DFT method.