Photolysis of C3O2 in the Presence of CH3F at 1470 Å

Carbon suboxide (C3O2) has been photolyzed at the 1470-Å Xe resonance line at 25°C in the presence of CH3F, with and without added inert gases. The principal reaction products include acetylene, vinyl fluoride, CO, and CO2. The results are interpreted in terms of the participation of an electronically excited C2O (singlet) radical produced in the primary photochemical process. The energy of excitation of C2O is considerably higher than the reported Δ1, Σ1, and π3 excited states of C2O. A tentative estimate places the value at ∼ 3.1 eV above the ground-state C2O (3Σ).