REACTIONS OF PULSED LASER-PRODUCED BORON AND NITROGEN-ATOMS IN A CONDENSING ARGON STREAM

Reactions of pulsed laser produced B and N atoms at high dilution in argon favored diboron species. At low laser power with minimum radiation, the dominant reaction with N2 gave BBNN (3PI). At higher laser power, reactions of N atoms contributed the B2N (2B2), BNB (2SIGMA(u)+), NNBN (1SIGMA+), and BNBN (3PI) species. These new transient molecules were identified from mixed isotopic patterns, isotopic shifts, and ab initio calculations of isotopic spectra.