State‐state transitions for CCl2(X1A1, A1B1, a3B1) radical and collisional quenching of CCl2(A1B1 and a3B1) by O2, N2, NO,N2O,NH3, and various aminated molecules

CCl₂ free radicals were produced by a pulsed dc discharge of CCl₄ in Ar. Ground electronic state CCl₂(X) radicals were electronically excited to the A¹B₁ (0,4,0) vibronic state with an Nd:YAG laser pumped dye laser at 541.52 nm. Experimental quenching data of excited CCl₂(A¹B₁ and a³B₁) by O₂, N₂, NO, N₂O, NH₃, NH(CH₃)₂, NH(C₂H₅)₂, and N(C₂H₅)₃ molecules were obtained by observing the time‐resolved total fluorescence signal of the excited CCl₂ radical in a cell, which showed a superposition of two exponential decay components under the presence of quencher. The quenching rate constants k_A of CCl₂(A) state and k_a of CCl₂(a) state were derived by analyzing the experimental data according to a proposed three‐level model to deal with the CCl₂(X¹A₁, A¹B₁, a³B₁) system. The formation cross sections of complexes of electronically excited CCl₂ radicals with O₂, N₂, NO, N₂O, NH₃, and aminated molecules were calculated by means of a collision‐complex model. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 34: 351–356, 2002