Formation of Nascent Product N2O from the Irradiation of O2 in Icy N2
J.-I. Lo, S.-L. Chou, Y.-C. Peng, H.-C. Lu*, J. F. Ogilvie, and B.-M. Cheng*
2018/10/01
Products O3, N, NO, NO2, N2O, c-(NO)2, and excited states of O2 were detected after the photolysis of solid O2 in icy N2 near 4 K with radiation at 200 nm. The temporal profiles of these products enable the derivation of a mechanism for the photochemical reactions in this system: dissociation of O2 first-generated O 3P that reacted with nearby N2 to yield N2O. Other products resulted from the secondary photolysis of N2O and the reactions of O with N2O. The reaction of O with O2 to form O3 was impeded by the small concentration of the latter, which requires substantial migration through the N2 lattice. However, sufficient O3 was eventually formed to enable detection either directly from O coming from O2 or indirectly through N2O. These results enhance our understanding of the evolution of the transformation of oxygen and nitrogen in irradiated ices and have possible astrophysical applications.
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