The effect of incident spin-orbit state on the chemiluminescent reactions of Ba(3D J) with several oxidants

Abstract

The dependence of the chemiluminescence channels on incident spin‐orbit state has been determined by utilizing optical pumping state selection for the reactions of metastable Ba(6s5d ³D_J) with Cl₂, Br₂, CCl₄, N₂O, and NO₂. The cross sections for the neighboring metastable ¹D level were related to those for the ³D_J multiplet by optical pumping on an intercombination line. For the halogen‐containing reagents, the spin‐orbit dependence of the reactivity was substantial for BaX B–X emission and was in the order J=3>J=2>J=1. The differences in reactivity were somewhat less for the C–X chemiluminescence channel in the Cl₂ and Br₂ reactions. Essentially no spin‐orbit dependence was observed in the N₂O and NO₂ reactions.