Laser fluorescence detection of nascent product state distributions in reactions of Sc and Y with O2, NO, and SO2

The reactions of Y and Sc with O2, NO, and SO2 have been investigated by the laser-induced fluorescence method. The excitation spectra are reported for metal oxide products formed under single-collision conditions in a beam–gas arrangement. Possible systematic errors which arise in deducing the internal state distributions from the spectra are discussed. The relative vibrational populations of metal oxides for all reactions are close to unbiased statistical distributions (in the sense of the information theoretic approach). Although the rotational distributions from the reactions with NO and SO2 also follow statistical behavior, those from the reactions with O2 peak significantly lower than the statistical ones. Radiative lifetimes are reported for the A and B states of YO and ScO, and the B and C states of LaO.