Electron affinities of NO and O2

In the 1970s, experimental values of the EA Of 02 and NO clustered around two values, 0.43 and 0.9 eV for O-2 and 0.025 and 0.8 eV for NO. We report new ground state adiabatic electron affinities (AEA), AEA-X: NO; 0.8(4) +/- 0.05 and O-2; 0.9 +/- 0.05 eV. Excited state EA, AEA* for spin orbital coupling states of NO are 0.27 and 0.25 +/- 0.02 eV. The activation energies for thermal electron attachment to the X state are both 0.8 0.05 eV. These were obtained by a least squares analysis of electron capture detector data using a two state model incorporating other literature data and their random uncertainties, including AEA, NO, 0.8(5) +/- 0.08 eV and AEA* O-2; 0.45 and 0.43 +/- 0.01 eV. Morse Potential energy curves illustrate the assignments. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.