Mass spectrometry study of decompositionof exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene by low-power, low-pressure rf plasma

The plasma cracking of exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene (JP-10) ( C 10 H 16 ) is investigated using a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The relative densities of the JP-10 molecule and its principal decomposition products, including H 2 , are determined for varying rf powers in the range of 3-30 W, using the measured ion intensities combined with ionization cross section data from the literature. The extent of the cracking of JP-10 and the formation of H 2 as functions of the rf power are discussed.