LASER APPLICATIONS AND OTHER TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS: Laser separation of oxygen isotopes by infrared multiphoton dissociation of CF3CH2OH

A study was made of isotopically selective multiphoton dissociation of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (CF3CH2OH) by radiation from a pulsed TEA CO2 laser. Enrichment of the dissociation product CO with 18O was observed. The maximum selectivity a ≈ 7.2 ± 1.5 and the dissociation yield of the target product (CF3CH218OH) β18≈5% were obtained when the laser radiation frequency was ωlas = 1029.44 cm − 1 and the energy density was Φ ≈ 1.8 J/cm2. The degree of conversion of oxygen atoms from CF3CH2OH to CO was 50% for Φ = 1.8 J/cm2 and u ~ 90% for Φ = 2.0 J/cm2. The multiphoton absorption coefficients and the energy absorbed, on the average, by one 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol molecule were determined. Estimates were obtained of the energy needed to separate one 18O atom, which was ~ 12 keV.