Laser induced and controlled chemical reaction of carbon monoxide and hydrogen

Bimolecular chemical reaction control of gaseous CO and H 2 at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, without any catalyst, using shaped femtosecond laser pulses is presented. High intensity laser radiation applied to a reaction cell facilitates non-resonant bond breakage and the formation of a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of chemical physics 2011-11, Vol.135 (20), p.204303-204303-7
Main Authors: du Plessis, Anton, Strydom, Christien A., Uys, Hermann, Botha, Lourens R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Bimolecular chemical reaction control of gaseous CO and H 2 at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, without any catalyst, using shaped femtosecond laser pulses is presented. High intensity laser radiation applied to a reaction cell facilitates non-resonant bond breakage and the formation of a range of ions, which can then react to form new products. Stable reaction products are measured after irradiation of a reaction cell, using time of flight mass spectroscopy. Bond formation of C-O, C-C, and C-H bonds is demonstrated as CO 2 + , C 2 H 2 + , CH + , and CH 3 + were observed in the time of flight mass spectrum of the product gas, analyzed after irradiation. The formation of CO 2 is shown to be dependent on laser intensity, irradiation time, and on the presence of H 2 in the reaction cell. Using negatively chirped laser pulses more C-O bond formation takes place as compared to more C-C bond formation for unchirped pulses.
ISSN:0021-9606
1089-7690
DOI:10.1063/1.3662129