Luminescence process, refractory stabilities, and new and novel electronic states: scanning chemical reactions and novel products for laser induced isotope separation. Progress report, December 1, 1975--November 20, 1976

Oven systems for high temperature metal vaporization at temperatures in excess of 20000C are being developed. Modifications of an apparatus appropriate to the production and study of small metal aggregates M/sub n/ (2 less than or equal to n less than or equal to 6) are discussed, including the construction and operation of argon ion and nitrogen pumped dye laser systems. The dye laser system is being used to induce fluorescence from small metal aggregates. Components necessary for interfacing the dye lasers and the aggregates apparatus are outlined. Production of carbon vapor and its reaction with metal atoms and dimers to form carbides are outlined. Initial studies on metal sulfide chemistry are discussed. Studies of the luminescence process are leading to an understanding of chemiluminescent phenomena occurring as a result of the bimolecular reaction of metal atoms and dimers with oxidants; they can be used for determining the upper bounds to the heats of sublimation and vaporization of those ''single collision'' reactions and for determining activation energies for formation of product molecules in a given excited state. Simple methods for inferring the radiative lifetimes of metastable product chemiluminescing molecules are outlined. Efforts are continued toward the formulation of catalytic surfaces via aggregate deposition. Completed chemiluminescence studies of titanium and vanadium oxide systems allowed the determination of a lower bound to the TiO and VO dissociation energies, the heats of vaporization of titanium and vanadium metal, and the nature of those metal atoms (ground or excited states) which react to yield observed chemiluminescence