Photosensitised Decomposition of Ozone

Abstract

DURING the last twelve months we have been working on the photodecomposition of ozone sensitised for visible and long-wave ultra-violet light by the addition of chlorine. A detailed analysis of the somewhat complex pressure changes which occur on insolating or on cutting off the light from a mixture of these gases kept at constant volume, combined with quantum efficiency measurements under various conditions, caused us to suspect the formation, during the course of the reaction, of small amounts of an intermediate compound, and this view has been strikingly confirmed by some recent observations.