Vibrational distribution in CN(X2Σ+) from the N + C2 → CN + C reaction Original Research Article

C2 radicals were prepared from the overall reaction 4K+C2Cl4→4KCl+C2 and mixed with atomic nitrogen in a low-pressure fast-flow reactor. CN(X2Σ+) produced by the exoergic reaction N+C2→CN+C was probed by laser-induced fluorescence. Vibrational distributions at different distances from the reactant mixing zone were determined. Fitting of the evolution of the vibrational distribution, using a kinetic scheme which included the collisional transfer between X2Σ+ and A2πi vibrational levels and CN removal by the N+C2→C+N2 reaction, allowed to determine the nascent vibrational distribution given by the N+C2 reaction. This distribution was found to be non-statistical and is compared to that obtained from the C+NO→CN+O reaction in a previous crossed-beam study.