PHOTODISSOCIATION OF CLNO IN THE A-BAND

The photodissociation of ClNO at 248 nm has been studied by photofragm ent translational spectroscopy. The nascent Cl and NO fragments exhibi t a recoil anisotropy parameter beta = 1.2 and their kinetic energy di stribution has a distinctly bimodal shape. The main component (80%) pe aks at a total translational energy of 50 kcal/mol whereas the weaker one is centered at 35 kcal/mol. The present results, in conjunction wi th those of previous investigations at 248, 236 and 193 nm, have allow ed us to draw a consistent picture of the photodissociation of ClNO, a ccording to which the absorption band ''A'' consists of three overlapp ing electronic transitions of symmetry type A' <-- A'. Each of these t ransitions produces photofragments with a characteristic angular and e nergy distribution.