Emission Spectroscopy of Transient Molecules

Abstract

The CN free radical is commonly observed in flames, in the combustion of propellants and in a variety of astronomical sources. The A2Π-X2Σ+ and the B2Σ+-X2Σ+ electronic transitions were observed in a corona-excited supersonic jet expansion source using methyl azide (CH3N3) in helium. The rotationally cold but vibrationally and electronically hot spectra of CN were recorded at high resolution during the course of our work1 on CH3N.