Knowledge Bank

Diatomic molecules which combine elements from columns I and II of the periodic table such as KMg were first detected In absorption experiments as early as 1890, The inability to produce such molecules in their excited status has largely limited the present day knowledge concerning this type of diatomic species which is characterized by a weakly bound (Van der Waals) ground state. Recently, however, flowing afterglow techniques have been used to allow observation of KMg molecules in emission via chemiluminescent reactions such as Mg($\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">3</mrow>}p)+K2$. TO complement these new studies we have used $Ar+$ ion and dye laser Induced fluorescence In a heat pipe containing mixtures of the alkali metals and alkaline earths. These studies have shown that detailed spectroscopic and kinetic parameters of the type I-II bimetallic molecules can he obtained using the laser-induced fluorescence-heat pipe method and that some of the molecules studied are Interesting as Laser candidates owing to the bound-free nature of the radiative decay to the repulsive portions of the ground state potential curve.