We present a joint theoretical-experimental study on electron scattering by methanol (CH3OH) and ethanol (C2H5OH) in a wide energy range. Experimental differential, integral and momentum-transfer cross sections for elastic electron scattering by ethanol are reported in the 100–1000 eV energy range. The experimental angular distributions of the energy-selected electrons are measured and converted to absolute cross sections using the relative flow technique. Moreover, elastic, total, and total absorption cross sections for both alcohols are calculated in the 1–500 eV energy range. A complex optical potential is used to represent the dynamics of the electron-alcohol interaction, whereas the scattering equations are solved iteratively using the Padé’s approximant technique. Our calculated data agree well with those obtained using the Schwinger multichannel method at energies up to 20 eV. Discrepancies at high energies indicate the importance of absorption effects, included in our calculations. In general, the comparison between our theoretical and experimental results, as well as with other experimental data available in the literature, also show good agreement. Nevertheless, the discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental total cross sections at low incident energies suggests that the experimental cross sections measured using the transmission technique for polar targets should be reviewed.

In this work, we report an experimental cross-section determination of elastic electron collisions with tetrahydrofuran in the intermediate-energy range. More specifically, absolute differential cross sections are measured and reported in the (50–1000) eV range. The measurements were performed using a crossed electron beam–molecular beam geometry. The angular distributions of the scattered electrons were converted to absolute cross sections using the relative flow technique. A procedure based on the method of initial rate is applied to determine the flow rate of vaporized liquid samples. Moreover, integral and momentum transfer cross sections are derived from the measured differential cross sections. Comparison is made between our measured data with the existing experimental results and with our theoretical results calculated using the independent atom model at the static-exchange-polarization plus absorption level of approximation.