Reaction dynamics of hot naphthalene molecules in the gas phase with ArF laser excitation

Laser flash photolysis has been carried out to elucidate relaxation dynamics of highly excited naphthalene in the gas phase. Highly vibrationally excited ‘hot’ naphthalene in the ground state was formed through rapid internal conversion after 193 nm laser excitation. Hot naphthalene was effectively deactivated by nitrogen molecules, and the energy transferred per collision was similar to that of azulene or hexafluorobenzene. The molecule was found to absorb a second photon under high photon density conditions to undergo an intramolecular chemical reaction.