Chemiluminescence from the Reaction of Iodine with Active Nitrogen

Abstract

Active nitrogen has been prepared by hollow-cathode discharge of high pure nitrogen gas in a flow reactor. The emission spectra from the reaction of iodine with active nitrogen are studied. The strong emission spectra of NI(b¹Σ⁺ → X³Σ^–) in the range of 620-800 nm have been observed when iodine vapours carried by nitrogen gas were introduced into a stream of active nitrogen. This is the first experimental evidence for the generation of excited state of NI(b¹Σ⁺) via the chemical reactions of iodine with active nitrogen. The results show that vibrationally unrelaxed emission spectra from the electronically excited state NI(b¹Σ⁺) are observed and the production NI(b¹Σ⁺) is formed directly by the reaction of excited nitrogen atom N(²P) with I₂.