Photolysis of C3O2 in the Presence of CH3F at 1470 Å

Abstract

Carbon suboxide (C₃O₂) has been photolyzed at the 1470‐Å Xe resonance line at 25°C in the presence of CH₃F, with and without added inert gases. The principal reaction products include acetylene, vinyl fluoride, CO, and CO₂. The results are interpreted in terms of the participation of an electronically excited C₂O (singlet) radical produced in the primary photochemical process. The energy of excitation of C₂O is considerably higher than the reported ${}^1\Delta$ , ${}^1\Sigma$ , and ${}^3\pi$ excited states of C₂O. A tentative estimate places the value at ∼ 3.1 eV above the ground‐state C₂O ${(}^3\mathrm{\Sigma )}$ .