Selective production and kinetic analysis of thermally equilibrated N2(B3Πg, ν=0) and N2(W3Δu, ν=0)

The kinetic behavior of triplet-state molecular nitrogen, N-2(B (3)Pig, v = 0) and N-2(W (3)Delta(u), v = 0), was examined. These molecules were produced by excitation transfer between Xe(6s[3/2](1)) and ground-state N-2 followed by collisional vibrational relaxation. Xe(6s[3/2](1)) was produced by two-photon laser excitation of Xe(6p[1/2](0)) followed by concomitant amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). The weighted averages of the rate constants for the quenching of N-2(B, v = 0) and N-2(W, v = 0) were determined for 15 molecules by measuring the decay profiles of N-2(B, v = 0). The observed rate constants are all one order of magnitude smaller than those reported for N-2(B, v greater than or equal to 1). The literature values for N-2(B, v greater than or equal to 1) must be the rate constants to produce neighbouring N-2(W), from which N-2(B) can be reproduced, and do not represent those for net quenching. In the reaction with H-2(D-2), the production of H(D) atoms was confirmed to be one of the major exit channels, while the relaxation to N-2(A (3)Sigma(u)(+)) was found to be minor.