Chemical HF laser emission from the CHF + O₂ reaction

HF laser emission was observed in the flash photolysis (λ ≥ 165 nm) of mixtures of O₂ and CHFCl₂. A total of 15 transitions ranging from Δυ = 3 → 2 to 1 → o were identified. The laser intensity was found to increase linearly with flash energy. The effects of temperature, reactant concentration and buffer gas pressure have been examined. The stimulated emission is concluded to result primary from the following reactions: {A figure is presented} No CO₂ laser emission was detected. A simple gain calculation revealed that only a small fraction of reaction energy (E_int ≈ 180 kcal/mole) was channeled into the HF product. Since the addition of D₂ generated weak DF laser emission (Δυ = 3 → 2 to 1 → o) at only a minor expense (< 10%) to the HF emission, F atoms are believed to be formed as one of the minor decomposition products of FCOOH.