Photochemical Studies. XVIII The Fluorescence of Acetone Vapor

A thorough understanding of the photochemical decomposition of acetone vapor must be accompanied by a study of the fluorescence of this substance. Previous work had indicated that the fluorescence is relatively weak, is affected by oxygen and (at least over part of the spectral range involved) possessed a fine structure. In the present work it is shown that the intensity of the fluorescence follows the customary behavior observed in such phenomena in that it is quenched by the acetone vapor itself. A discussion is given as to the relationship of the fluorescence to the possible modes of photochemical decomposition.