ENERGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SINGLET MOLECULAR OXYGEN AND RARE EARTH IONS

Abstract

Singlet molecular oxygen generated in a hydrogen-peroxide, hypochlorite reaction flow cell is under investigation in the presence of added rare earth chelates to the peroxide branch. It is shown that not only do rare earth metastable levels undergo excitation by energy transfer, but also the singlet oxygen metastable single-molecule and double-molecule state populations are modulated by back-transfer. This suggests direct excitation of singlet molecular oxygen states by rare-earth chelate energy transfer after UV chelate excitation. Preliminary experiments with molecular oxygen at 40 atm in a freon-3 methylpentane solvent indicate a positive transfer process.