State-resolved collisional quenching of highly vibrationally excited pyridine by water: The role of strong electrostatic attraction in V→RT energy transfer

State-resolved collisional quenching of vibrationally excited pyrazine (E(vib) = 37,900 cm(-1)) by D35Cl(v = 0)

Supercollision relaxation of highly vibrationally excited pyrazine (E(vib) = 37,900 cm(-1)) with D35Cl is investigated using high-resolution transient IR diode laser absorption spectroscopy at 4.4 microm. Highly excited pyrazine is prepared by pulsed UV excitation at 266 nm, followed by rapid radiationless decay to the ground electronic state. The rotational energy distribution of the scattered DCl (v = 0,J) molecules with J = 15-21 is characterized by T(rot) = 755+/-90 K. The relative translational energy increases as a function of rotational quantum number for DCl with T(rel) = 710+/-190 K for J = 15 and T(rel) = 1270+/-240 K for J = 21. The average change in recoil velocity correlates with the change in rotational angular momentum quantum number and highlights the role of angular momentum in energy gain partitioning. The integrated energy-transfer rate for appearance of DCl (v = 0,J = 15-21) is k(2)(int) = 7.1x10(-11) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1), approximately one-eighth the Lennard-Jones collision rate. The results are compared to earlier energy gain measurements of CO2 and H2O.

Vibrational energy relaxation of naphthalene in the S(1) state in various gases

Time-resolved fluorescence spectra of naphthalene in the S(1) state have been measured in various gases below 10(2) kPa. The band shape of the fluorescence changed in an earlier time region after the photoexcitation when an excess energy (3300 cm(-1)) above the 0-0 transition energy was given. The excitation energy dependence of the fluorescence band shape of an isolated naphthalene molecule was measured separately, and the time dependence of the fluorescence band shape in gases was found to be due to the vibrational energy relaxation in the S(1) state. We have succeeded in determining the transient excess vibrational energy by comparing the time-resolved fluorescence band shape with the excitation energy dependence of the fluorescence band shape. The excess vibrational energy decayed almost exponentially. From the slope of the decay rate against the buffer gas pressure, we have determined the collisional decay rate of the excess vibrational energy in various gases. The dependence of the vibrational energy relaxation rate on the buffer gas species was similar to the case of azulene. The comparisons with the results in the low temperature argon and the energy relaxation rate in the S(0) state in nitrogen were also discussed.

Recent progress in infrared absorption techniques for elementary gas-phase reaction kinetics

Sensitive and precise measurements of rate coefficients, branching fractions, and energy disposal from gas-phase radical reactions provide information about the mechanism of elementary reactions as well as furnish modelers of complicated chemical systems with rate data. This chapter describes the use of time-resolved infrared laser absorption as a tool for investigating gas-phase radical reactions, emphasizing the exploitation of the particular advantages of the technique. The reaction of Cl atoms with HD illustrates the complementarity of thermal kinetic measurements with molecular beam data. Measurements of second-order reactions, such as the self-reactions of SiH3 and C3H3 radicals, and determinations of product branching fractions in reactions such as CN + O2 rely on the wide applicability of infrared absorption and on the straightforward relationship of absorption to absolute concentration. Finally, investigations of product vibrational distributions, as in the CN + H2 reaction, provide additional insight into the details of reaction mechanisms.