The detailed energy partitioning in the reaction of a metastable oxygen atom O(1D) with D2O proceeding to two OD molecules has been studied. In order to distinguish the product state distribution between the two chemically identical product molecules OD, the oxygen atom in the heavy water molecule was labeled isotopically. The use of spectroscopic methods allows a complete analysis of the productsrsquo; state distribution including such fine details as the distribution of the different Lgr; components and of the electron spin. The vibrational energy is almost exclusively channeled into the new (16OD) bond, whereas the original (18OD) bond is produced (gsim;90percnt;) in the ground vibrational state. Both OD radicals show a broad rotational excitation and the rotational energy is equally partitioned among the two bonds. The energy distribution over the rovibrational levels strongly reflects the influence of coincident product molecules emerging from this chemical reaction. The reaction is very direct and must proceed on a time scale which does not allow for efficient energy transfer into all the available phase space.
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