Reactions of excited I*(2P1/2) and unexcited I(2P3/2) iodine atoms in perfluoroalkyl radicals

A method of investigating reactions of excited and unexcited atoms is discussed. It is based on pulsed photolysis of molecules with simultaneous passage of laser radiation through the working medium. The method proposed is used to investigate the reactions that accompany the photolysis of the molecules RI(CF₃I, n-C₃F₇I, i-C₃F₇I). The rate constants of the recombination of iodine atoms into I₂ in the presence of RI molecules are calculated for the atoms I(²P_3/2) and I*(²P_1/2), as are the recombination constants of the radicals R into R₂ and with the atoms I*(²P_1/2) and I(²P_3/2) into the RI molecule. It is shown that the I(²P_3/2) atoms are much more active in the recombination into Ia and RI than the I*(²P_1/2) atoms. The role of the investigated reactions in the kinetics of a photodissociation iodine laser (PDIL) is discussed. The results are compared with the published data.