A SEARCH FOR LUMINESCENT FREE RADICAL RECOMBINATION

Abstract— Radical recombinations producing a single bond are potentially chemiluminescent reactions. The probability that a radical recombination leads to an excited state will depend on the relative shape of the ground and excited surfaces. This information can be obtained from the rate constants of the ground state and excited states dissociation, and the energy differences between the states. From the available data it was concluded that acyl radicals are among the most promising radicals regarding the probability of recombination leading to excited triplet states. Experimental efforts to detect luminescence following the recombination of acyl radicals will be discussed.