EMISSION SPECTRA FROM THE CHEMICAL REACTION OF HEATED Cu WITH METASTABLE OXYGEN AND Cl2, COMPARISON WITH LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE AND ABSORPTION SPECTRA OF CuCl2

We present the results of a spectroscopic investigation of CuCl2 vapour obtained from laser induced fluorescence recorded by Fourier transform spectrometry, and give preliminary spectroscopic constants for the [MATH] and [MATH] states of Cu35Cl2. Coupled with data obtained from absorption experiments on CuCl2, this work brings us closer to understanding the mechanism of the reaction of copper with chlorine in the presence of singlet oxygen ([MATH]), which is accompanied by an intense red flame. This emission has been proposed as a possible candidate for the production of a visible or infrared chemical laser. We consider this question in view of lifetime measurements on the [MATH] state of the CuCl2 molecule, now accepted to be the emitting species, and also compare the infrared and visible spectra of CuCl2 with the chemiluminescence recorded around 1.2 and 0.7 µm