Kinetic study of the formation of excited States in the pulse radioloysis of gaseous xenon--iodine systems

Light emission in the ultraviolet region is observed from gaseous mixtures of xenon and iodine using the pulse radiolysis technique with subnanosecond time resolution. Emission maxima at about 253 and 319 nm are ascribed to XeI*(2Σ/sub 1/2), and kinetic evidence is presented which supports the conclusion that XeI* is formed by reaction of ground state Xe with excited molecular iodine. Evidence is also presented which indicates that the same species is formed by a sequence of ionic reactions. An emission band due to excited I2, with a maximum at 342 nm, is also observed. Three distinct reaction sequences, one of which involves ions, are involved in producing the excited I2