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Production of singlet oxygen by the reaction of non-basic hydrogen peroxide with chlorine gas
Wenming Tian1, Wenbo Shi, Heping Yang
1State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road Dalian, 116023 Liaoning Province, PR China.
Abstract:
Non-basic hydrogen peroxide was found to be very easy to react with Cl(2) to produce singlet oxygen O(2)(a(1)Δ(g)) (i.e. the molecular oxygen in its first electronic excited state) when an H(+) absorbent such as C(5)H(5)N, CH(3)COONH(4), HCOONH(4) or NH(4)F was added into H(2)O(2) aqueous solution, and the long concealed fact that molecular H(2)O(2) can react with Cl(2) to produce O(2)(a(1)Δ(g)) was then uncovered. It is only when an H(+) absorbent has provided a stronger base than H(2)O to absorb the H(+) produced during the reaction that O(2)(a(1)Δ(g)) can be produced.
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