F + H2, D2, HD reactions: Chemical laser determination of the product vibrational state populations and the F + HD intramolecular kinetic isotope effect

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Relative gain coefficients of individual HF†(DF†) laser transitions in the F + H2, D2, HD chemical lasers have been measured by a grating selection technique. Product vibrational population inversions Nν/Nν−1 were calculated from these measurements. The results indicate a complete parallelism in product vibrational energy content in the four room‐temperature isotopic reactions, modified only by a threshold effect for HF†(ν = 3) production in the F + HD reaction and by secondary mass effects in the HF‐producing VS DF‐producing reactions. A room‐temperature measurement of the intramolecular kinetic isotope effect in the F + HD reaction is reported. Lastly, evidence is presented for highly efficient energy‐transfer processes [V → V′: HF†(ν = 3) + HD(ν = 0) → HF†(ν = 2) + HD†(ν = 1) and E → V: I*(5 2P1/2) + HF†(ν) → I(5 2P3/2) + HF†(ν + 2)].