Isotopic branching ratio for the reaction A+HD→AD(H)+H(D)

Abstract
Several reactions of the form A+HD→AD(H)+H(D) have been studied by a two laser experiment. One laser dissociates a molecule to form a reactive atom A and the second laser monitors the hydrogen atom products by laser induced fluorescence. When A is F(2P), O(1D), and S(1D), the H/D ratios are 0.66±0.10, 1.13±0.08, and 1.91±0.10, respectively. Muckerman and co-workers have given qualitative arguments that abstraction reactions should have an H/D ratio less than one whereas insertion reactions should have H/D greater than one. Inasmuch as extensive previous experimental and theoretical work has shown that F(2P)+H2 procedes by abstraction whereas O(1D)+H2 and S(1D)+H2 proceed largely by insertion, the present results are consistent with the general qualitative conjecture.