Gaseous mixtures of methyl iodide and sulfur hexafluoride yield upon irradiation by a continuous-wave CO2 laser iodine, methane, ethane, ethylene and acetylene - the products of methyl iodide decomposition. The decomposition rate and the mutual ratio of the products is dependent on the delivered irradiation energy, the methyl iodide/sulfur hexafluoride ratio and the energy of the exciting photon. Methyl iodide-d3 in the mixture with SF6 behaves similarly as methyl iodide yielding perdeuterated methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene and iodine.