Abstract

The photochemical events following the photodissociation reaction of chlorine dioxide (OC1O) are strongly medium-dependent.¹ The photoreactivity of OC1O is complicated by the existence of competing reaction pathways (i.e., photoproducts C1O + O vs. C1 + O₂), the partitioning of which is significantly altered by the medium. We have investigated the ultrafast dynamics of OC1O photochemistry in the liquid phase to further our understanding of the effects of solute-solvent dynamical coupling on the reaction coordinate.²,³ The ultrafast dynamics of the photophysical and photochemical processes following the photodissociation of OC1O at 395 nm have been measured using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The transient absorption dynamics were probed using a wide range of spectral coverage, from 267 nm to 700 nm. Figure 1 shows a select set of the data obtained for OC1O in aqueous solution.

© 1996 Optical Society of America