Infrared laser enhanced reactions: O3 + SO

Vibrationally excited ozone, ${\mathrm{O}}_3^{†}$ , produced by CO₂ laser radiation was found to react with SO significantly faster than thermal ozone via the chemiluminescent reaction process O₃+SO→SO₂(¹B₁) +O₂(³Σ_g). The vibrational rate enhancement of this reaction was 2.5±0.6 at 300 K. This represents the utilization of 27% of the available vibrational energy to promote the reaction based on a model assuming involvement of a single vibrational mode. The laser enhanced chemiluminescence measured from 260 to 450 nm was found to exhibit a 630±200 cm⁻¹ blue shift. This is interpreted as a partitioning of the available vibrational energy of ${\mathrm{O}}_3^{†}$ in the vibrational manifold of the SO₂(¹B₁) product.