CO+(A–X) chemiluminescence in reactions of C+ ions with CO2, NO2, and N2O at thermal energy.

Ultraviolet and visible chemiluminescence have been observed from the reactions of C+ with CO2, NO2, and N2O in a flowing afterglow. The CO+(A–X) chemiluminescence from v′=0–2 was identified in the C++CO2 reaction, while chemiluminescence from levels up to v′=11 was found in the C++NO2 and N2O reactions. The relative vibrational populations of CO+(A) have been determined and are compared with statistical prior distributions. The experimental data show that only about 10% of the total available energy is deposited in the CO+(A) vibration for all cases. The relative rate constants for formation of CO+(A) in the C++CO2, O2, NO2, and N2O reactions are estimated to be 1.0:9.8:18:60, respectively. In the C++N2O reaction, CN(A–X,B–X) chemiluminescence was also observed: the CN(B–X) system is produced exclusively as a result of rotational perturbations between the B and A states. Adiabatic correlation diagrams have been used to explain the specific formation of the emitting excited species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]