Sulfur-33 isotope enrichment by isotopically selective, two-step, laser photodissociation of OCS

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Abstract
SO2 significantly enriched in the 33S isotope has been produced by isotopically selective, two-step, laser photodissociation of OCS with chemical scavenging of S atoms by O2 and NO2. A 33S enrichment factor of 2.0 has been achieved in samples containing only OCS and O2, while the addition of small amounts of NO2 to the samples has led to enrichment factors as large as 3.6. A large fractional conversion of OCS to product is obtained with a moderate number of laser pulses, and the resulting mixture of reactants and enriched products is stable with respect to chemical reaction and isotope exchange. The dependence of enrichment and conversion on OCS, O2, and NO2 pressures is reported and discussed on the basis of energy transfer and reaction mechanisms.