Evidence for the Existence of Activated Molecules in a Chemical Reaction

Abstract

It is known that when ozone decomposes rapidly radiation is emitted, part of which at least lies in the visible and ultra-violet. Stuchtey has photographed the spectrum of the radiation using a quartz spectrograph. The radiation is scattered across the visible and extends, well out into the ultra-violet. In particular, the well known bands of ozone in the vicinity of 2450 Ångstrom units come in definitely in the spectrum of the luminescence of the decomposition; there is also radiation of still higher frequency extending to approximately 2200Å which seems to have been the limit of observation of Stuchtey's work. It is the purpose of this article to give the probable explanation of the emission of this remarkably short wave-length radiation, which, as will be shown, requires for its excitation energy quantities much larger than can be afforded by the ordinary heat of reaction.