Energy and angular momentum disposal in chemiluminescent reactions of Xe (3PJ)

Abstract

The dynamics of reactive collisions of Xe (3 PJ ) atoms with HCl, HBr, Hl, Cl2 , Br2 and I2 have been probed under both thermal and superthermal collision conditions. Recent experimental data for vibrational energy disposal, rotational angular momentum disposal and collisional energy utilisation are reviewed and interpreted in terms of preferred collision geometries (HX) and multiple surface crossings (X2 ). In particular, systematic variations in the energy and angular momentum disposals, together with the nature of the competing excitation transfer channels in the X2 systems, implicate an important contribution from excited ion-pair potentials. The sensitivity of the data to dynamical factors has been checked against the simple kinematic reaction theory of Elsum and Gordon (J. Chem. Phys., 1982, 76, 3009).