Ar+ laser-induced fluorescence in NO2

The assignment of the resonant fluorescence induced by the AR⁺ laser lines in ¹⁴N¹⁶O₂ is reported for the first time with the 4727 and 4765 Å laser lines and is further developed with the 4579 and 4965 Å laser lines.     

Pulsed-laser production and detection of spin-polarized hydrogen atoms.

Spin-polarized hydrogen (SPH) atoms have traditionally been produced and detected using complex experimental methods with poor time resolution. Recently, SPH has been produced by pulsed-laser photodissociation of HCl using circularly polarized light. In combination with the proposed detection of SPH via polarized fluorescence, this approach should allow the production and spatially resolved detection of SPH with a higher sensitivity than that currently available, and with a time resolution in the nanosecond regime. This represents an improvement of several orders of magnitude over the existing methods.     

VUV laser-induced fluorescence of molecular hydrogen

State-selective detection of molecular hydrogen by VUV laser-induced fluorescence has been achieved at excitation wavelengths greater than the lithium fluoride cut-off, using xenon as the non-linear medium. With this approach sensitivities of ≈10⁹ per cm³ per quantum state have been achieved under cell conditions. This method provides a simple approach to monitoring the vibrational state distribution of hydrogen and its isotopes.     

Two-photon laser-induced fluorescence in oxygen and nitrogen atoms

Two-photon absorption is used to populate the 3p ³P state of O and the 2s²2p²3p⁴D^o state of N in a flow discharge. Exciting photons are produced by anti-Stokes Raman frequency conversion of tunable UV laser radiation; the resulting near IR fluorescence from the excited state yielded lifetimes, quenching rates, and relative two-photon transition probabilities.     

Vacuum UV laser-induced fluorescence study of the collisional removal of Br(P1/2) atoms by small molecules

This Letter reports on the application of the vacuum ultraviolet laser-induced fluorescence detection of Br(²P_1/2) atoms at 157.48 nm to the kinetic study of collisional removal of Br(²P_1/2) by small molecules at 295 K. Gas mixtures of a small amount of CH₃Br and an excess amount of collision partners are exposed to pulsed laser irradiation at 193 nm. Temporal decay profile of the Br* LIF intensity has been monitored to determine the collisional removal rate coefficients. The collision partners are H₂, CO₂, CF₄, CF₂H₂, H₂O, CH₃OH, and SF₅CF₃, and the results are compared to literature data.     

Reaction of hydrogen atoms and O2(1Δg)

The reaction of atomic hydrogen with O₂(¹Δ_g) has been investigated as a function of temperature, using a fast discharge-flow apparatus equipped for EPR detection of free radical species. The rate constant for the overall reaction was measured as (1.46 ± 0.49) × 10^?11 exp(-4000 ± 200 cal/mol/RT) cm³/s. Evidence is presented which suggests that the reaction occurs principally via abstraction, H + O₂(¹Δ_g) → OH + O, rather than via physical quenching, H + O₂(¹Δ_g) → H + O₂(X³Σ_g^?).     

Spectroscopy of the A(1B2)-X(1A1) transition of jet-cooled fluorobenzene: laser-induced fluorescence, dispersed fluorescence, and pathological Fermi resonances

A detailed study of the S1((1)B2)-S0((1)A1) electronic transition of jet-cooled fluorobenzene has been carried out using laser-induced fluorescence and dispersed fluorescence (DF) spectroscopies. Analysis of over 40 single vibronic level DF spectra resulted in the assignment of 16 fundamental frequencies in the excited electronic state. Progressions in totally symmetric modes, particularly in the ring-breathing mode nu9, feature in both types of fluorescence spectrum. There is also significant activity in non-totally-symmetric modes, with activity in Franck-Condon (FC)-allowed overtones, FC-forbidden combinations induced by Duschinsky mixing, and symmetry-forbidden transitions induced by the same Herzberg-Teller vibronic coupling mechanism that induces the benzene S1-S0 transition. Fermi resonances (FRs) are extensive throughout the spectrum, especially in the important FC-active a1 modes. A consequence of these extensive FRs is that several important previous assignments are shown to be incorrect and have been reassigned here. Ab initio and density functional theory calculations have also been performed to support the experimental assignments.     

Reactions of fluorine atoms with iodides studied by crossed beam laser-induced fluorescence

The reactions of F atoms with C₂H₅I, C₂F₅I, and n-C₃H₅I were studied by the crossed beam laser-induced fluorescence techniques within the 570–620 nm wavelength region. The vibrational and rotational excitation spectra of the reaction product IF were measured. The relative vibrational population densities of v = 3,4, and 5 vibrational levels, and some of the relative detailed vibrational rate constants, the rotational temperatures, and the mean fractions of rotational energy in individual vibrational states of the reaction product IF were obtained. The reaction mechanism was discussed.     

Determination of the rate coefficients for the reactions IO + NO2 + M (air) --> IONO2 + M and O(3P) + NO2 --> O2 + NO using laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy

Laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy via excitation of the A2pi(3/2) <-- X2pi(3/2) (2,0) band at 445 nm was used to monitor IO in the presence of NO2 following its generation in the reactions O(3P) + CF3I and O(3P) + I2. Both photolysis of O3 (248 nm) and NO2 (351 nm) were used to initiate the production of IO. The rate coefficients for the thermolecular reaction IO + NO2 + M --> IONO2 + M were measured in air, N2, and O2 over the range P = 18-760 Torr, covering typical tropospheric conditions, and were found to be in the falloff region. No dependence of k1 upon bath gas identity was observed, and in general, the results are in good agreement with recent determinations. Using a Troe broadening factor of F(B) = 0.4, the falloff parameters k0(1) = (9.5 +/- 1.6) x 10(-31) cm6 molecule(-2) s(-1) and k(infinity)(1) = (1.7 +/- 0.3) x 10(-11) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) were determined at 294 K. The temporal profile of IO at elevated temperatures was used to investigate the thermal stability of the product, IONO2, but no evidence was observed for the regeneration of IO, consistent with recent calculations for the IO-NO2 bond strength being approximately 100 kJ mol(-1). Previous modeling studies of iodine chemistry in the marine boundary layer that utilize values of k1 measured in N2 are hence validated by these results conducted in air. The rate coefficient for the reaction O(3P) + NO2 --> O2 + NO at 294 K and in 100 Torr of air was determined to be k2 = (9.3 +/- 0.9) x 10(-12) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1), in good agreement with recommended values. All uncertainties are quoted at the 95% confidence limit.     

Two-photon laser-induced fluorescence studies of HS radicals,DS radicals,and I atoms

A two-photon laser-induced excitation and fluorescence technique has been used to study the A ²Σ⁺-X ²Π transition of HS and DS radicals and various high-lying ⁴P^o, ²D^o, and ⁴D^o states of the I atom. The two-photon excitation cross sections and detection sensitivity are discussed.     

Pulsed laser photolysis vacuum UV laser-induced fluorescence kinetic study of the gas-phase reactions of Cl(2P3/2) atoms with C3-C6 ketones

The gas-phase reactions of Cl atoms with acetone, butanone, 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, 2-hexanone, 3-hexanone, and cyclopentanone at 295 +/- 2 K were studied using pulsed laser photolysis vacuum UV laser-induced fluorescence (PLP-LIF) techniques. Cl(2P(3/2)) atoms were produced by photolysis of Cl2 at 351 nm and monitored by LIF spectroscopy at 134.72 nm (3p(5) 2P(3/2)-3p(4)4s 2P(3/2) transition). Rate coefficients for reactions of Cl atoms with acetone, butanone, 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, 2-hexanone, 3-hexanone, and cyclopentanone are (2.30 +/- 0.12) x 10(-12), (4.08 +/- 0.21) x 10(-11), (1.23 +/- 0.13) x 10(-10), (8.87 +/- 0.92) x 10(-11), (2.08 +/- 0.32) x 10(-10), (1.43 +/- 0.19) x 10(-10) and (1.16 +/- 0.12) x 10(-10) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively. The results for acetone and butanone are consistent with previous studies. The results for 2-pentanone, 3-pentanone, 2-hexanone, and 3-hexanone are approximately a factor of 2-3 higher than those from previous absolute rate studies. Likely explanations for these discrepancies are discussed. Tropospheric lifetimes of ketones with respect to reaction with Cl atoms are estimated and discussed.     

Measurement of Br photofragment orientation and alignment from HBr photodissociation: production of highly spin-polarized hydrogen atoms

The orientation and alignment of the (2)P(3/2) and (2)P(1/2) Br photofragments from the photodissociation of HBr is measured at 193 nm in terms of a(q) ((k))(p) parameters, using slice imaging. The A (1)Pi state is excited almost exclusively, and the measured a(q) ((k))(p) parameters and the spin-orbit branching ratio show that the dissociation proceeds predominantly via nonadiabatic transitions to the a (3)Pi and 1 (3)Sigma(+) states. Conservation of angular momentum shows that the electrons of the nascent H atom cofragments (recoiling parallel to the photolysis polarization) are highly spin polarized: about 100% for the Br((2)P(1/2)) channel, and 86% for the Br((2)P(3/2)) channel. A similar analysis is demonstrated for the photodissociation of HCl.     

The oxidation of Ti(III) by hydrogen atoms

The rate constant for the oxidation reaction of Ti(III) by hydrogen atoms has been measured in competition with the abstraction reaction of deuterated isopropanol. From yield measurements of HD and H₂ a rate constant of 4.2 × 10⁷ M^?1 was determined.     

Penning electron spectra from ionization of hydrogen atoms by He(2S) and He(2S) metastables

Separate Penning electron spectra were measured resulting from the ionization of H atoms by He(2¹S) and He(2³S) metastables in thermal collisions. From these results potential parameters of the diatomics He(2¹S)-H(²S) (²Σ) and He(2³S)-H(²S) (²Σ) as well as the cross-section ratio σ(singlet)/σ(triplet) are derived.     

Kinetic study of N2(B3Πg, υ) quenching by laser-induced fluorescence

The quenching kinetics of N₂(B³Π_g, υ) have been determined in a low-pressure flow system in the absence of N atoms. Individual vibrational levels of the B state were populated by laser pumping (first-positive bands) of N₂(A³Σ_u⁺) molecules. The latter were created upstream by energy transfer from Ar metastable atoms.     

Long-range interaction between 1s and 2s or 2p hydrogen atoms

Long-range interaction energy between two hydrogen atoms has been computed in the second order of the perturbation theory. All states of the system arising when one of the atoms is in the 1s and the other in the 2s or 2p state have been considered. The energy represented by a series expansion in inverse powers of the internuclear distance, R, has been computed up to the terms in R^?8. The results are believed to give reliable interaction energies for R > 15 a.u. Accurate interaction energy for two ground-state hydrogen atoms has also been obtained up to the terms in R^?10. Results for the B′ ¹∑ state are employed to discuss the experimental ground-state dissociation energy of H₂, D₂, and HD. For H₂ all values of the dissociation energy obtained from various experimental absorption limits, by using the computed potential energy curve to separate off the effect of rotation, are shown to be satisfactorily consistent. The resulting total energy of H₂ is, however, higher than the most accurate theoretical value.     

Measurement of the rotational energy distribution of ground state N+2 ions from H+2N2 collisions by laser-induced fluorescence

The rotational energy distribution of ground state N⁺₂ ions produced by interaction of a principally H⁺₂ ion beam with N₂ has been measured at projectile ion energies of 10 and 2.5 keV by observation of the laser induced fluorescence in the N⁺₂ first negative system (0, 0) band. At 10 keV, the rotational energy distribution is Boltzmann (432 K), due to heating of the gas by the intense ion beam. At 2.5 keV, rotational excitation is definitely observed.     

The reactions of hydrogen atoms with bis(trifluoromethyl)disulfide

The reactions of hydrogen atoms produced by the mercury-photosensitized decomposition of H₂ with bis(trifluoromethyl)disulfide has been studied. The rate coefficient for the primary reaction, H + CF₃SSCF₃ → CF₃SH + CF₃S, was determined in competition with the reaction H + C₂H₄S → SH + C₂H₄ to have the value k = (3.0 ± 0.18) × 10¹⁴ exp[-(4560 ± 140)/RT] cm³ mol^?1 S^?1. The high A factor can be partially accounted for by assuming free rotation for the two CF₃ groups and the SCF₃ groups about the S—S bond in the transition state. The relatively high activation energy is attributed to inductive and orbital overlap effects. CH₃SH, H₂S, and CF₃SH all react with CF₃SSCF₃ to yield solid complexes which were not explored further.     

Laser-induced fluorescence detection of lead atoms in a laser-induced plasma: An experimental analytical optimization study

The combination of the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) techniques was investigated to improve the limit of detection (LoD) of trace elements in solid matrices. The influence of the main experimental parameters on the LIF signal, namely the ablation fluence, the excitation energy, and the inter-pulse delay, was studied experimentally and a discussion of the results was presented. For illustrative purpose we considered detection of lead in brass samples. The plasma was produced by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and then re-excited by a nanosecond Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) laser. The experiments were performed in air at atmospheric pressure. We found out that the optimal conditions were obtained for our experimental set-up using relatively weak ablation fluence of 2–3 J/cm² and an inter-pulse delay of about 5–10 μs. Also, a few tens of microjoules was typically required to maximize the LIF signal. Using the LIBS–LIFS technique, a single-shot LoD for lead of about 1.5 part per million (ppm) was obtained while a value of 0.2 ppm was obtained after accumulating over 100 shots. These values represent an improvement of about two orders of magnitude with respect to LIBS.     

Reaction of energetic hydrogen atoms with 1-chloropropane

The reaction of photochemically generated energetic hydrogen atoms with 1-chloropropane, reaction (1), has been examined for translational energies of H* in the range 40 to 110 kJ mol^?1. Integral probabilities for reaction (1) have been determined, and the phenomenological threshold energy is 47 ± 10 kJ mol^?1. The moderating effect of CO₂ on reaction (1) for hydrogen atoms of initial energy 108 kJ mol^?1 has also been studied. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.