A pulsed laser photolysis – pulsed laser induced fluorescence study of the kinetics and mechanism of the reaction of HgBr with NO2 and O2

Abstract

The kinetics of the reactions of mercurous bromide (HgBr) with NO₂ and O₂ have been studied using the pulsed laser photolysis – pulsed laser induced fluorescence technique in nitrogen, air and helium at room temperature and as a function of pressure. For reaction with NO₂, temporal profiles showed good pseudo-first order behavior and we see a three-body recombination and obtain rate coefficients of ∼1–7 × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ per molecules per s over the pressure range 50–700 Torr in nitrogen. As expected, He is a less efficient 3rd body and rates are somewhat slower. We monitored the presence of a reduction channel regenerating Hg(0) and saw no evidence for it occurring. We obtained temporal profiles of HgBr at pressures of up to 500 Torr of O₂ demonstrating that laser induced fluorescence has adequate sensitivity as a concentration diagnostic in laboratory studies. The temporal profiles showed no evidence for any reaction between HgBr and O₂ at room temperature.