Calspan Corporation

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Joseph W Rich

Richard C Bergman

John W Raymonda

Charles E Treanor

Gregory F Homicz

Method for producing isotopically enriched material by vibration-vibration excitation of gaseous molecules wherein a middle mass isotope of an isotopic mixture including lighter and heavier mass isotopes preferentially populates a higher vibrational mode and chemically reacts to provide a product in which it is enriched. The method can be used for vibration-vibration enrichment of .sup.17 O in a CO reactant mixture.

Method for enriching a middle isotope using vibration-vibration pumping

Laser output from the fundamental, first overtone, and second overtone transitions in CO is achieved in a supersonic flow laser using an electric-discharge-excited CO/He/O.sub.2 mixture.

Molecular laser operating on fundamental and overtone bands

When using CO as the absorbing and lasing species for vibration-vibration energy transfer and subsequent vibration-vibration pumping, CO can be made to dissociate and subsequently form C.sub.2 with isotope separation, or CO may be made to chemically react with N.sub.2 to produce CN with isotope separation.

Method for the initiation of chemical reactions by low pressure optical

Laser radiation is employed to initiate and promote chemical reactions by creating states of molecular vibrational mode excitation exceeding those appropriate to the translational temperature of the medium in one or more of the reactants. In favorable cases, vibrational excitation in a certain vibrational normal mode of a reactant will act to accelerate the rate of a desired chemical reaction. The reactants can be pressurized so that their vibration-rotation spectrum can be broadened to the point that laser radiation can be absorbed without the need for exact coincidence between a line or lines of the spectrum of the reactant and that of available lasers. Provision can be made for isolation and analysis of products, recycling of unused reactants, temperature control of reactants and real-time monitoring of the state of vibrational excitation of the reactants.

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East Aurora, NY, United States of America

Joseph W Rich