Reactions of the²P_3/2and²P_1/2doublet ground states of Kr⁺and Xe⁺at 300K

Abstract

The rate coefficients (k3/2 and k1/2) and the productions have been determined at 300K for the reactions of the ground states (2P3/2 and 2P1/2) of Kr+ and Xe+ ions with several molecular gases using the selected-ion flow tube (SIFT) technique. Chemical 'filter gases' were used to remove either the 3/2 or the 1/2 state ions selectively from the flow tube so that the reactions of the ions remaining could be studied more accurately. k3/2 and k1/2 varied widely from immeasurably small to gas kinetic and the most common reaction mechanism was charge transfer as dictated by the energetics. The most interesting result of the study is that k3/2>or=k1/2 for all of the reactions studied which the authors tentatively ascribed to differences in the correlation diagrams involving the two states. Collisional quenching of the1/2 state to the 3/2 state is evident in some of the Xe+ reactions but not in the Kr+ reactions.