Activation Energies for Reactions of Atoms in Different States

Abstract

A slight modification of Eyring's method enables the activation energy for the reaction of iodine monochloride with normal or with excited chlorine atoms to be calculated. The calculations indicate that normal chlorine atoms are much more reactive with respect to iodine chloride than are chlorine atoms excited to the 2P½ state. Experimental evidence supporting these calculations is obtained from the results of Rollefson and Lindquist with mixtures of hydrogen, chlorine and iodine monochloride. In the modified method, the atomic interactions—which give rise to the activation energy—are obtained from the potential energies of those molecular states which may be adiabatically formed from atoms in the particular electronic states to be considered.