Radical Reaction Mechanisms in Infrared Multiphoton Dissociation of UF₆with Scavenger Gases

Abstract

The radical reaction mechanisms in the presence of F-atom scavenger gases were investigated in the P-H 2 Raman laser-induced infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) of gaseous 235 UF 6 / 238 UF 6 cooled to -35oC in a static gas cell. When CH 4 was added as a scavenger of F-atoms produced via IRMPD of UF 6 , the dissociation rate of UF 6 became several tens of times larger than when no scavenger gas was added. Gas-chromatographic analysis revealed that as low as 7% of the nascent CH 3 radicals were involved in the radical reaction with UF 6 • On the other hand, H 2 and C 2 H 6 were found to increase both the dissociation rate of UF 6 and the contribution of this non-selective reaction. These results agreed with those obtained in the UV photolysis of UF 6 with scavengers.