Energy levels and predissociation in mercuric halides

Electron energy-loss spectra were obtained over an extended energy-loss range (approximately 5 to 15 eV) for incident electron energies of 200 eV and scattering angles of 20 in the mercuric halides HgBr2 and HgCl2. Under these conditions of impact energy and scattering angle, the energy-loss spectra correspond closely to optical absorption spectra, though the energy-loss spectra extend to much higher energies than previous photoabsorption spectra, and reveal many more excited states of these molecules than had previously been observed. This preliminary report gives raw spectra and tentative identifications of the principal features of these spectra