Abstract
The vibrational energy distribution in molecules which have quenched O2(1+g) to O2(1g) or O2(1g) to O2(3-g) is interpreted in terms of the statistical theory. This theory is extended to include cases where initial rotational and translational energy contributes to vibrational excitation of the products. A common linear surprisal plot is observed in the quenching both of O2(1∑) and O2(1∆) by a number of molecules. Strongly inverted vibrational distributions with ⋋v= - 7.5 are inferred for both products of the quenching step.