Oxygen isotope separation utilizing two-frequency infrared multiphoton dissociation of 2,3-dihydropyran

Hashimoto, Masashi; Oba, Hironori  ; Yokoyama, Atsushi

Oxygen isotope separation has been examined by utilizing the two-frequency infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) of 2,3-dihydropyran (DHP). The two-frequency IRMPD reduces remarkably the required laser fluence. For example, dissociation probability of DHP containing O (D(O)) and enrichment factor (S) were obtained to be 1.610 /pulse and 316 respectively by the simultaneous irradiation with 1052.2 cm photons at 0.45 J/cm and 1031.5 cm photons at 1.06 J/cm. These are comparable with D(O) = 2.210 /pulse and S = 391 obtained by the single-frequency irradiation of 1033.5 cm photons at 2.2 J/cm. Therefore, the production rate of an O enriched dissociation product has been increased to four times or more, compared with the single-frequency IRMPD, and this two-frequency method would promise a practical large scale separation.