skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Experimental and computer modeling study of /sup 81/Br isotope enrichment by isotopically selective, two-step laser photodissociation of HBr

Journal Article · · J. Chem. Phys.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5887918

Molecular bromine enriched in /sup 81/Br has been observed mass spectrometrically following isotopically selective, two-step laser photodissociation of HBr in mixtures with NO. The dependence of isotopic enrichment and product yield on various experimental parameters was investigated. An extensive computer model was used to simulate the two-step enrichment process and gave fair agreement with experimental results. The computer model indicated that isotopic enrichment was limited in these experiments (i.e., /sup 81/Br/sub 2///sup 79/Br/sub 2/approx. =1.6, compared to the natural abundance ratio of 0.96) by Br isotope exchange during chemical scavenging and not by the initial two-step photodissociation process. Computer modeling studies of the effect of adding high pressures of rare gas to the HBr--NO mixtures suggest that much higher isotopic enrichments are possible. Enrichment of /sup 81/Br in the C/sub 2/H/sub 5/Br product of isotopically selective, two-step laser photodissociation of HBr in C/sub 2/H/sub 4/ mixtures has also been observed experimentally.

Research Organization:
Chemistry and Physics Laboratory, The Ivan A. Getting Laboratories, The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, California 90009
OSTI ID:
5887918
Journal Information:
J. Chem. Phys.; (United States), Vol. 71:7
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English