Infrared photochemistry of trichloroethylene in the presence of oxygen

Abstract

Trichloroethylene with added molecular oxygen was photolyzed with a TEA CO2 laser radiation, at v4 (933 cm-1) fundamental vibrational band for C2HCl3 and at v3 (1020 cm-1) fundamental vibrational band for C2DCl3. The stable final products in the infrared multiphoton dissociation of trichloroethylene were determined by mass spectrometry in the 0.5 - 10 Torr pressure range of the gas. After the photodissociation process, the following final products appeared: HCl (or DCl), C2Cl2, C2Cl4, C2Cl4O, CO, Co2 and C2O3. Experimental measurements were also performed to obtain information about the dependence of the specific dissociation rate versus laser pulse energy, for both isotopic species of trichloroethylene.