Absorption spectra of metal oxides using optogalvanic spectroscopy

The absorption spectra of neutral flame species may be detected by measuring current changes induced by photon irradiation at wavelengths corresponding to electronic transitions. This paper presents the first results using this optogalvanic spectroscopy to study molecular absorption. Numerous transitions have been detected for ScO, YO, and LaO in the 360–630 nm wavelength region. The most extensive data have been obtained for LaO, where we observe a total of at least four electronic states and 18 sequences. Five of the sequences have not been seen in previous emission studies.