Photochemical Oxygen-Hydrogen Reaction at 1849 A

Abstract

The photochemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen was studied at atmospheric pressure in a flowing system using the 1849.6 A mercury resonance line as a light source. The yields of hydrogen peroxide, water and ozone were determined. The results obtained in this work above the convergence limit of the oxygen molecule absorption spectrum are in agreement with those obtained in other studies below the convergence limit. The predissociation of oxygen molecules to form oxygen atoms as the primary process following light absorption is shown to be the only reaction of optically excited oxygen. The mechanisms used to explain the formation of products, ozone, hydrogen peroxide and water, are compatible with well‐known reactions in various oxygen‐hydrogen systems.