Temperature dependence of vibrational energy transfer in the “low” pressure competitive two-channel 1,1-cyclopropane-d2 system

Intermolecular energy transfer has been studied in the two-channel competitive isomerization of 1,1-cyclopropane-d₂, both in the neat system and in the presence of helium bath gas at values of k/k^? centered around 0.02. The competing path ways differ in threshold energy by ≈ 0.6 kcal. The temperature range 773 K to 973 K was covered. Several methods of treating the data, whether by isotopic ratios of rate constants or by temperature dependence of fall off, are each independent of a knowledge of collision cross sections. Used in conjunction, they provide measurements of these quantities. Cyclopropane is an operationally strong collider (β_ω = 1) for itself at 773 K with an average down step size, <ΔE/s> >/ 10 kcal mole ^?1 (>/ 3500 cm^?1). At 973 K the substrate is no longer a strong collider; β_ω declines to ≈ 0.55 with <ΔE/s> ≈ 5.2 kcal mole^?1. For helium the corresponding quantities are β_ω ≈ 0.078 <ΔE/s> ≈ 1.1 kcal mole ^?1 declining to β_ω ≈ 0.010 and <ΔE/s> ≈ 0.53 kcal mole^?1. The several methods of measuring these quantities give excellent independent agreement. Comparison with the earlier theoretical formulation of Tardy and Rabinovitch gives good agreement, the temperature dependence of β_ω for the weak collider, helium, follows the relation β_ω ∝ T^?m, where m /s> 2.