Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Dissociation energy and photochemistry of NO[sub 3]

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/j100112a018· OSTI ID:6234179
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)

The photodissociation of NO[sub 3] was studied using the method of molecular beam photofragmentation translational spectroscopy. The existence of two photodissociation channels was confirmed under collision-free conditions. At excitation energies below D[sub 0](O-NO[sub 2]) for internally cold NO[sub 3], the authors observe a large quantum yield (0.70 [+-] 0.10 at 588 nm) for a concerted three-center rearrangement resulting in NO([sup 2][Pi]) + O[sub 2]([sup 3][Sigma][sub g][sup [minus]],[sup 1][Delta]). The quantum yield for the NO + O[sub 2] channel decreased sharply at wavelengths shorter than 587 nm, falling to <0.01 at 583 nm, while the NO[sub 2] + O([sup 3]P) quantum yield increased to >0.99. On the basis of this wavelength dependence and the product translational energy distributions, the authors conclude that the wavelength threshold for NO[sub 3](0,0,0,0) [yields] NO[sub 2](0,0,0) + O([sup 3]P[sub 2]) is 587 [+-] 3 nm, i.e. D[sub 0](O-NO[sub 2]) = 48.69 [+-] 0.25 kcal/mol. From the enthalpies of formation of O([sup 3]P[sub 2]) and NO[sub 2]([sup 2]A[sub 1]), they calculate [Delta]H[sub f][degrees](NO[sub 3]) = 18.87 [+-] 0.33 kcal/mol at 0 K and [Delta]H[sub f][degrees](NO[sub 3]) = 17.62 [+-] 0.33 kcal/mol at 298 K. This is 2.23 kcal/mol higher than the most recent thermochemical value but is consistent with a value calculated indirectly using the most recent values for the electron affinity (EA) of NO[sub 3] and [Delta]H[sub f][degrees](NO[sub 3][sup [minus]]). From the wavelength dependence and translational energy distributions for NO[sub 3] [yields] NO + O[sub 2], the potential energy barrier for NO[sub 3]([sup 2]A[prime][sub 2]) [yields] NO([sup 2][Pi]) + O[sub 2]([sup 2][Sigma][sub g][sup [minus]]) was found to be 47.3 [+-] 0.8 kcal/mol. 53 refs., 15 figs., 2 tabs.

DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098
OSTI ID:
6234179
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry; (United States) Vol. 97:10; ISSN JPCHAX; ISSN 0022-3654
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English