Abstract Previous reports on the thermal or CO 2-laser induced decomposition of trichloroethylene have identified only one condensible product, hexachlorobenzene (in addition to HCl and mono-and dichloroacetylene). We have found that trichloroethylene vapor exposed to cw irradiation on the P (24) line of the (001-100) band of the CO 2 laser at incident power levels from 8-17 W produces numerous products, of which the 13 major ...