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Published on: February 14, 2014
Thermal lens spectroscopy in liquid argon solutions: (Deltav = 6) C-H vibrational overtone absorption of methane
Juan G Navea1, Alfredo Lopez-Calvo, Carlos E Manzanares
1Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76798, USA.
Abstract:
A dual-beam thermal lens technique has been used to obtain the absorption spectrum of the (Deltav = 6) C-H stretch of liquid methane and methane in liquid argon solutions. The lowest concentration detected was 1 x 10(-3) (mole fraction) of CH(4) in liquid Ar with a continuous wave laser power of 20 mW. The thermal lens signal is linear with the mole fraction of methane up to 1 x 10(-2) but not for higher concentrations. Considering the system CH(4)-Ar as an ideal solution, the factors that contribute to the thermal lens signal were calculated as a function of the concentration of methane. A mechanism of energy transfer based on the gas-phase results could explain qualitatively the dependence of the magnitude of the signal on the mole fraction of methane.
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