Fine structure branching ratios and Doppler spectroscopy of chlorine atoms from the photodissociation of alkyl chlorides and chlorofluoromethanes at 157 and 193 nm

Alkyl chlorides (R=CH3, C2H5, C3H7, and C4H9), chloromethanes (CHnCl4−n), and chlorofluoromethanes (CFnCl4–n) are photodissociated at 157 and 193 nm. The chlorine atom photofragments are detected by a resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization technique. The branching ratios of the Cl photofragments [Cl*(3p2P1/2)]/[Cl(3p2P3/2)] are almost identical (0.23±0.03) for alkyl monochlorides at 157 and 193 nm and for CH2Cl2 and CHCl3 at 157 nm, while the ratios are rather small (0.10±0.02) for CH2Cl2 and CHCl3 at 193 nm. No discernible isotope effects on the branching ratios were observed when D atoms were substituted for H atoms in chloromethanes. For CCl4, CF3Cl, CF2Cl2, CFCl3 at 157 and 193 nm, the ratios are small (<0.05) irrespective of the number of Cl atoms in the parent molecules. The Doppler profiles of the chlorine photofragments have been obtained and it is found that (a) CF3Cl undergoes a perpendicular optical transition at 157 nm and (b) for halomethanes containing more than two Cl atoms, the Cl photofragment has a Boltzmann distribution in translational energy and an isotropic angular distribution.