The collisional quenching of electronically excited oxygen atoms, O(21D2), by the gases NH3, H2O2, C2H6, C3H8, and C(CH3)4, using time-resolved attenuation of atomic resonance radiation

A kinetic study of electronically excited oxygen atoms, O(21D2), is presented. These optically metastable species were generated by repetitive pulsed irradiation in the Hartley-band continuum and monitored photoelectrically in absorption by time-resolved attenuation of resonance radiation at λ = 115.2 nm (O(31D20)←O(21D2). Absolute rate constants for the collisional quenching of O(21D2) are reported for the gases NH3, H2O2, C2H6 C3H8, and C(CH3)4. These are found to be respectively (in units of 10−10 cm3 molecule−1 S−1 at 300 K), 6.3 ± 0.7, 5.2 ± 0.6, 7.3 ± 0.8, 9.5 ± 1.0, and 12.3 ± 1.3. With the exception of a recent measurement for NH3• these data represent the first absolute measurements for these quenching gases. Further, a general comparison is made between absolute rate measurements using this technique and recent work by Schiff and co-workers using time-resolved emission at λ = 630 nm (O(21D2) → O(23P2)) in order to monitor the excited atoms.