ELECTRONIC QUENCHING OF XECL(B,C) AND XE2CL

The two-photon, laser-assisted reaction between Xe and Cl2 has been used to generate XeCl(B,C) molecules for subsequent kinetic studies at 300 K. Two-body quenching rate constants for the collisionally coupled XeCl(B,C) molecules were determined from the pressure dependence of their decay rates on added molecular gases. The quenching constants for XeCl(B,C) by most molecules are large, even though acceptor electronic states are not available for quenching by an excitation-transfer mechanism. At higher pressure (> 100 Torr) of Xe, Xe, Cl(4 2-GAMMA) molecules were formed via three-body quenching of XeCl(B,C), and the quenching rate constants for Xe2Cl(4 2-GAMMA) by added gases were determined and compared with those for XeCL(B,C). In all cases, the quenching rate constants for XeCl(B,C) are larger. The two-body quenching mechanisms for XeCl(B,C) and Xe2Cl(4 2-GAMMA), which are ionic molecules, are discussed. Three-body quenching of XeCl(B,C) with formation of Xe2Cl(4 2-GAMMA) was observed for Xe + N2, Xe + CF4, and Xe + SF6.