Abstract
Multiphoton decomposition studies of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCE) with a pulsed CO 2 laser are reported. Pressure-independent decomposition, suggesting a collisionless process, was found for fluences of 11 J/cm 2 with 60 ns pulses, focused to a waist of 1.2 mm, for pressures up to 8 kPa. After 1300 pulses a 50% decomposition of a 16 cm 3 sample was observed. However, isotope separation studies with dilute mixtures of TCE- d 3 in TCE- h 3 showed no selectivity, which is inconsistent with a collisionless process, and suggest a thermal reaction. Similar studies with a shorter, 10 ns, pulse of the same total fluence, on the other hand, indicate that selectivities greater than 10 4 can be expected. The implications of these apparently conflicting results for laser isotope separation of deuterium are discussed.
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