Chlorine isotope enrichment in CO2 TEA laser photolysis of CF2Cl2

A number of lines from a CO₂ TEA laser were used to photolyze CF₂Cl₂. Enrichment of the ³⁵Cl and ³⁷Cl isotopes in the molecular chlorine formed during the photolysis was observed using a mass spectrometer. Maximum enrichment was about 1.8. The dependence of enrichment on wavelength, reactant concentration, inert gas pressure, and the presence of SiF₄ is reported. Of particular interest is the persistence of significant enrichment at pressures up to several hundred torr (≈ 10⁵ Pa). Aside from the practical significance of this enrichment at high pressures, it suggests that there are important contributions from isotopically specific interactions after the laser pulse.