Vibrational relaxation of NO in collisions with atomic oxygen and chlorine

The vibrational relaxation of NO(X 2Π) in the v=0, 1, and 2 states in collisions with Ar, NO, NO2, and electronic ground state O and Cl atoms has been studied in shoch waves. O and Cl atoms were produced in the thermal dissociation of NO2 or N2O at t?2700 K, and of ClNO at T?1700 K, respectively. BOth atoms were found to be very efficient catalysts for vibrational energy transfer to NO. The relaxation rates observed suggest a mechanism involving bound (NO2) * and (CINO) * collision complexes.