EFFECT OF CO AND N2 ON MERCURY-PHOTOSENSITIZED REACTIONS

Abstract
The addition of CO is found to increase the rate of the mercury-photosensitized decomposition of certain compounds (ethylene, acetone, anisole) by a factor in excess of 2.5, but does not affect the rate with paraffin hydrocarbons. The addition of N2, known to quench Hg(3P1) to the metastable Hg(3P0) state, does not produce an increase in rate. The results are discussed with reference to a possible HgCO* complex which contains most of the original excitation energy of Hg(3Pi) atom.