Reactions of electronically excited boron atoms. Quenching rate constants and the radiative lifetime of the 4p 2P state

Collisional quenching and radiative decay of the 4p 2P level of the boron atom has been studied in a cell experiment, in which B atoms are prepared by 266 nm multiphoton dissociation of BBr3 and the 4p 2P level is prepared by sequential 2-photon absorption through the 3s 2S level. A radiative lifetime of 360 ± 50 ns is derived for B (4p 2P) by extrapolation of the measured decay rates versus BBr3 partial pressure in several Torr helium buffer gas. Bimolecular quenching rate constants were also determined for a number of atomic and molecular species from the dependence of the B (4p 2P) decay rate on the quencher gas partial pressure. The quenching rate constants for the molecular species were quite large (≈(1–2)×10−9 molecule−1 cm3 s−1), presumably reflecting the small B (4p 2P) ionization potential and the rapid removal of the excited state by chemical reaction.