Laser Chemistry
Volume 4 (1984), Issue 1-6, Pages 275-285
doi:10.1155/LC.4.275

Frequency Doubled CO2 Laser Induced Decomposition of Carbonyl Compounds: Cyclobutanone

Mei-Kuen Au,1 P. A. Hackett,1 M. Humphries,1 and P. John1,2

1Laser Chemistry Group, Division of Chemistry, National Research Council, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa K1A OR6, Canada
2Department of Chemistry, Herriot-Watt University, Rickerton, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Received 31 May 1983; Accepted 5 June 1983

Copyright © 1984 Mei-Kuen Au et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This paper reports the first use of radiation derived from a TEA carbon dioxide laser by nonlinear upshifting techniques (second harmonic generation) in initiating multiphoton absorption and dissociation. The frequency doubled CO2 laser has frequency coverage from 2180–1750 cm–1. This frequency region is of importance as it allows pumping of the fundamental stretching modes of organic carbonyl groups (anhydrides, acyl chlorides and strained cyclic ketones), inorganic carbonyl groups, and carbontritium bonds. The laser has been used to excite cyclobutanone in the region of the carbonyl stretch. Efficient multiphoton absorption and two channel dissociation are observed. The product array is consistent with that observed upon excitation at 10 μm.