Flash photolysis of vanadium oxide trichloride vapour. Some new electronic transitions of VO
Abstract
Flash photolysis of VOCl3 vapour under adiabatic conditions yielded in absorption the visible C4Σ––X4Σ– band system of VO, together with eight new, diffuse u.v. spectra of widely varying intensity, in the range 2300–3800 Å. A comparison is made with the known u.v. transitions of the analogous molecule TaO. No trace of a reported u.v. system near 4000 Å, attributed to matrix isolated VO, was observed. Ground and excited state vanadium atoms were detected, and both photolytic and pyrolytic decomposition modes of VOCl3 are postulated.