Vibrational relaxation in mixtures containing oxygen

Theoretical calculations of the rates of the possible vibrational relaxation processes for binary mixtures of O 2 with CH 4 , CD 4 , C 2 H 4 , C 2 H 2 , H 2 O, D 2 O and HDO are presented, based on the quantum mechanical theory of Schwartz, Slawsky and Herzfeld. These predict mechanisms involving vibration-vibration and vibration-translation energy transfer which are in qualitative agreement with the available experimental data.