COPPER HALIDE CHEMILUMINESCENCE IN O-2 DISCHARGE FLOWS CONTAINING CL-2

Chemiluminescence of copper monohalides (CuX; X=Br, I) in oxygen disch arge flows was observed in the range 400-800 nm when heated CuX vapour was injected into the oxygen glow produced by a microwave discharge. When chlorine was added to the flow, the blue emission of the CuBr A(1 ) Pi-->X1 Sigma and B-1 Pi-->X(1) Sigma X1I; transitions and of the Cu I A(1) Pi-->X(1) Sigma transition changed to that of the CuCl B-1 Pi-- >X(1) Sigma transition. With an increasing amount of chlorine, the int ensity of the CuCl bands in the 400-550 nm region decreased and the Cu Cl2 emission appeared in the 600-750 nm region. These observations sug gest that a halogen substitution reaction of CuX with Cl-2 occurs to p roduce CuCl and finally CuCl2.