Fine-structure selectivity in polyatomic reaction products: CN(X 2Σ+,v=0,N=0,1)+O2→NCO(X̃ 2Π3/2, 0010,J,e/f)+O

Abstract

The reaction CN+O2→NCO+O has been investigated in a crossed-molecular beam experiment at a collision energy of 0.76 kcal/mole. Internal state distributions of the ground state NCO(X̃ 2Π3/2, 0010,J,e/f) products have been measured by laser-induced fluorescence. The rotational excitation is small. There is an observed preference in the population of the K doublet fine-structure states, 1f>1e, and this preference is even stronger for low J states.