Direct Trace Fitting of Experimental Data Using the Master Equation: Testing Theory and Experiments on the OH + C2H4 Reaction.

Laser flash photolysis coupled with laser-induced fluorescence observation of OH has been used to observe the equilibration of OH + C2H4 ↔ HOC2H4 over the temperature range 563-723 K and pressures of bath gas (N2) from 58 to 250 Torr. The time-resolved OH traces have been directly and globally fitted with a master equation in order to extract ΔRH00, the binding energy of the HOC2H4 adduct, with respect to reagents. The global approach allows the role that OH abstraction plays at higher temperatures to be identified. The resultant value ofΔRH00, 111.8 kJ mol-1, is determined to be better than 2 kJ mol-1 and is in agreement with our ab initio calculations (carried out at the CCSD(T)/CBS//M06-2X/aug-cc-pVTZ level), 111.4 kJ mol-1, and other state of the art calculations. Parameters for the abstraction channel are also in good agreement with previous experimental studies. To effect this analysis, the MESMER master equation code was extended to directly incorporate secondary chemistry: diffusional loss from the observation region and reaction with the photolytic precursor. These extensions, which, among other things, resolve issues related to the merging of chemically significant and internal energy relaxation eigenvalues, are presented.

Kinetic studies of C1 and C2 Criegee intermediates with SO2 using laser flash photolysis coupled with photoionization mass spectrometry and time resolved UV absorption spectroscopy.

Recent, direct studies have shown that several reactions of stabilized Criegee intermediates (SCI) are significantly faster than indicated by earlier indirect measurements. The reaction of SCI with SO2 may contribute to atmospheric sulfate production, but there are uncertainties in the mechanism of the reaction of the C1 Criegee intermediate, CH2OO, with SO2. The reactions of C1, CH2OO, and C2, CH3CHOO, Criegee intermediates with SO2 have been studied by generating stabilized Criegee intermediates by laser flash photolysis (LFP) of RI2/O2 (R = CH2 or CH3CH) mixtures with the reactions being followed by photoionization mass spectrometry (PIMS). PIMS has been used to determine the rate coefficient for the reaction of CH3CHI with O2, k = (8.6 ± 2.2) × 10-12 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at 295 K and 2 Torr (He). The yield of the C2 Criegee intermediate under these conditions is 0.86 ± 0.11. All errors in the abstract are a combination of statistical at the 1σ level and an estimated systematic contribution. For the CH2OO + SO2 reaction, additional LFP experiments were performed monitoring CH2OO by time-resolved broadband UV absorption spectroscopy (TRUVAS). The following rate coefficients have been determined at room temperature ((295 ± 2) K):CH2OO + SO2: k = (3.74 ± 0.43) × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 (LFP/PIMS),k = (3.87 ± 0.45) × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 (LFP/TRUVAS)CH3CHOO + SO2: k = (1.7 ± 0.3) × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 (LFP/PIMS)LFP/PIMS also allows for the direction observation of CH3CHO production from the reaction of CH3CHOO with SO2, suggesting that SO3 is the co-product. For the reaction of CH2OO with SO2 there is no evidence of any variation in reaction mechanism with [SO2] as had been suggested in an earlier publication (Chhantyal-Pun et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 3617). A mean value of k = (3.76 ± 0.14) × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 for the CH2OO + SO2 reaction is recommended from this and previous studies. The atmospheric implications of the results are briefly discussed.

Kinetics of the Reaction of OH with Isoprene over a Wide Range of Temperature and Pressure Including Direct Observation of Equilibrium with the OH Adducts.

The reaction of the OH radical with isoprene, C5H8 (R1), has been studied over the temperature range 298-794 K and bath gas pressures of nitrogen from 50 to 1670 Torr using laser flash photolysis (LFP) to generate OH and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to observe OH removal. Measurements have been made using both a conventional LFP/LIF apparatus and a new high pressure system. The measured rate coefficient at 298 K ( k1,298K = (9.90 ± 0.09) × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1) in the high pressure apparatus is in excellent agreement with the literature, confirming the accuracy of measurements made with this instrument. Above 700 K, the OH decays were no longer single exponentials due to regeneration of OH from adduct decomposition and the establishment of the OH + C5H8 ⇌ HOC5H8 equilibrium (R1a, R-1a). This equilibrium was analyzed by comparison to a master equation model of reaction R1 and determined the well depth for OH addition to carbon C1 and C4 to be equal to 153.5 ± 6.2 and 143.4 ± 6.2 kJ mol-1, respectively. These well depths are in excellent agreement with the present ab initio-CCSD(T)/CBS//M062X/6-311++G(3df,2p)-calculations (154.1 kJ mol-1 for the C1 adduct). Addition to the less stable C2 and C3 adducts is not important. The data above 700 K also indicated that a minor but significant direct abstraction channel, R1b, was also operating with k1b = (1.3 ± 0.3) × 10-11 exp(-3.61 kJ mol-1/ RT) cm3 molecule-1 s-1. Additional support for the presence of this abstraction channel comes from our ab initio calculations and from room-temperature proton transfer mass spectrometry product analysis. The literature data on reaction R1 together with the present data were assessed using master equation analysis, using the MESMER package. This analysis produced a refined data set that generates our recommended k1a( T, [ M]). An analytical representation of k1a( T, [ M]) and k-1a( T, [ M]) is provided via a Troe expression. The reported experimental data (the sum of addition and abstraction), k1∞ = (9.5 ± 0.2) × 10-11( T/298 K)-1.33±0.07 + (1.3 ± 0.3) × 10-11 exp(-3.61 kJ mol-1/ RT) cm3 molecule-1 s-1, significantly extend the measured temperature range of R1.

Exploring the features on the OH + SO2 potential energy surface using theory and testing its accuracy by comparison to experimental data.

Ab initio theory has been used to identify the pre-reaction complex in the atmospherically important reaction between OH + SO2, (R1), where the binding energy of the pre-reaction complex was determined to be 7.2 kJ mol-1. Using reaction rate theory, implemented with the master equation package MESMER, the effects of this complex on the kinetics of R1 at temperatures above 250 K have been investigated. From simulations and fitting to the experimental kinetic data, it is clear that the influence of this pre-reaction complex is negligible and that the kinetics are controlled by the inner transition-state that leads to the product, HOSO2. While the effect of this complex on the thermal kinetics is small it potentially provides an efficient route to remove energy from vibrationally excited OH. The fitting to the past experimental data reveals that this inner transition-state is submerged with a barrier -0.25 kJ mol-1 below the entrance channel, which is outside the range predicted from the best theoretical calculations. The data fitting also yielded ΔR1H0K equal to -(109 ± 5.6) kJ mol-11 and a more precise expression for k∞1(T), (5.95 ± 0.83) × 10-13 × (T/298)-0.11±0.27.

Comment on "Methanol dimer formation drastically enhances hydrogen abstraction from methanol by OH at low temperature" by W. Siebrand, Z. Smedarchina, E. Martínez-Núñez and A. Fernández-Ramos, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 22712.

The article "Methanol dimer formation drastically enhances hydrogen abstraction from methanol by OH at low temperature" proposes a dimer mediated mechanism in order to explain the large low temperature rate coefficients for the OH + methanol reaction measured by several groups. It is demonstrated here theoretically that under the conditions of these low temperature experiments, there are insufficient dimers formed for the proposed new mechanism to apply. Experimental evidence is also presented to show that dimerization of the methanol reagent does not influence the rate coefficients reported under the conditions of methanol concentration used for the kinetics studies. It is also emphasised that the low temperature experiments have been performed using both the Laval nozzle expansion and flow-tube methods, with good agreement found for the rate coefficients measured using these two distinct techniques.

Branching ratios for the reactions of OH with ethanol amines used in carbon capture and the potential impact on carcinogen formation in the emission plume from a carbon capture plant.

The OH initiated gas-phase chemistry of several amines that are potential candidates for use in post-combustion carbon capture (PCCC) plants have been studied by laser flash photolysis with OH monitored by laser induced fluorescence. The rate coefficients for the reaction of OH with N-methylethanolamine (MMEA) and N,N-dimethylethanolamine (DMEA) have been measured as a function of temperature (∼300-500 K): k(OH+MMEA) = (8.51 ± 0.65) × 10(-11)(T/298)(-(0.79±0.22), k(OH+DMEA) = (6.85 ± 0.25) × 10(-11)(T/298)(-(0.44±0.12). The results for DMEA lie between previous values. This is the first kinetic study of the OH + MMEA reaction. At low pressures in the presence of oxygen, OH is recycled in the DMEA reaction as has been observed for other tertiary amines. Branching ratios for OH abstraction with MEA, DMEA and MMEA are dominated by abstraction from the αCH2 group. Abstraction from N-H is determined to be 0.38 ± 0.06 for MEA and 0.52 ± 0.06 for MMEA at 298 K. The impact of these studies has been assessed by using a modified chemical box model to calculate downwind concentrations of nitramines and nitrosamine formed in the photo-oxidation of MEA. Under clear sky conditions, the simulations suggest that current safe guidelines for nitramines may be significantly exceeded with predicted MEA emission rates.

Reanalysis of Rate Data for the Reaction CH3 + CH3 → C2H6 Using Revised Cross Sections and a Linearized Second-Order Master Equation.

Rate coefficients for the CH3 + CH3 reaction, over the temperature range 300-900 K, have been corrected for errors in the absorption coefficients used in the original publication ( Slagle et al., J. Phys. Chem. 1988 , 92 , 2455 - 2462 ). These corrections necessitated the development of a detailed model of the B̃(2)A1' (3s)-X̃(2)A2″ transition in CH3 and its validation against both low temperature and high temperature experimental absorption cross sections. A master equation (ME) model was developed, using a local linearization of the second-order decay, which allows the use of standard matrix diagonalization methods for the determination of the rate coefficients for CH3 + CH3. The ME model utilized inverse Laplace transformation to link the microcanonical rate constants for dissociation of C2H6 to the limiting high pressure rate coefficient for association, k∞(T); it was used to fit the experimental rate coefficients using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm to minimize χ(2) calculated from the differences between experimental and calculated rate coefficients. Parameters for both k∞(T) and for energy transfer ⟨ΔE⟩down(T) were varied and optimized in the fitting procedure. A wide range of experimental data were fitted, covering the temperature range 300-2000 K. A high pressure limit of k∞(T) = 5.76 × 10(-11)(T/298 K)(-0.34) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) was obtained, which agrees well with the best available theoretical expression.

Global Uncertainty Propagation and Sensitivity Analysis in the CH3OCH2 + O2 System: Combining Experiment and Theory To Constrain Key Rate Coefficients in DME Combustion.

Statistical rate theory calculations, in particular formulations of the chemical master equation, are widely used to calculate rate coefficients of interest in combustion environments as a function of temperature and pressure. However, despite the increasing accuracy of electronic structure calculations, small uncertainties in the input parameters for these master equation models can lead to relatively large uncertainties in the calculated rate coefficients. Master equation input parameters may be constrained further by using experimental data and the relationship between experiment and theory warrants further investigation. In this work, the CH3OCH2 + O2 system, of relevance to the combustion of dimethyl ether (DME), is used as an example and the input parameters for master equation calculations on this system are refined through fitting to experimental data. Complementing these fitting calculations, global sensitivity analysis is used to explore which input parameters are constrained by which experimental conditions, and which parameters need to be further constrained to accurately predict key elementary rate coefficients. Finally, uncertainties in the calculated rate coefficients are obtained using both correlated and uncorrelated distributions of input parameters.

Analysis of the kinetics and yields of OH radical production from the CH3OCH2 + O2 reaction in the temperature range 195-650 K: an experimental and computational study.

The methoxymethyl radical, CH3OCH2, is an important intermediate in the low temperature combustion of dimethyl ether. The kinetics and yields of OH from the reaction of the methoxymethyl radical with O2 have been measured over the temperature and pressure ranges of 195-650 K and 5-500 Torr by detecting the hydroxyl radical using laser-induced fluorescence following the excimer laser photolysis (248 nm) of CH3OCH2Br. The reaction proceeds via the formation of an energized CH3OCH2O2 adduct, which either dissociates to OH + 2 H2CO or is collisionally stabilized by the buffer gas. At temperatures above 550 K, a secondary source of OH was observed consistent with thermal decomposition of stabilized CH3OCH2O2 radicals. In order to quantify OH production from the CH3OCH2 + O2 reaction, extensive relative and absolute OH yield measurements were performed over the same (T, P) conditions as the kinetic experiments. The reaction was studied at sufficiently low radical concentrations (∼10(11) cm(-3)) that secondary (radical + radical) reactions were unimportant and the rate coefficients could be extracted from simple bi- or triexponential analysis. Ab initio (CBS-GB3)/master equation calculations (using the program MESMER) of the CH3OCH2 + O2 system were also performed to better understand this combustion-related reaction as well as be able to extrapolate experimental results to higher temperatures and pressures. To obtain agreement with experimental results (both kinetics and yield data), energies of the key transition states were substantially reduced (by 20-40 kJ mol(-1)) from their ab initio values and the effect of hindered rotations in the CH3OCH2 and CH3OCH2OO intermediates were taken into account. The optimized master equation model was used to generate a set of pressure and temperature dependent rate coefficients for the component nine phenomenological reactions that describe the CH3OCH2 + O2 system, including four well-skipping reactions. The rate coefficients were fitted to Chebyshev polynomials over the temperature and density ranges 200 to 1000 K and 1 × 10(17) to 1 × 10(23) molecules cm(-3) respectively for both N2 and He bath gases. Comparisons with an existing autoignition mechanism show that the well-skipping reactions are important at a pressure of 1 bar but are not significant at 10 bar. The main differences derive from the calculated rate coefficient for the CH3OCH2OO → CH2OCH2OOH reaction, which leads to a faster rate of formation of O2CH2OCH2OOH.

Low temperature kinetics of the CH3OH + OH reaction.

The rate constant of the reaction between methanol and the hydroxyl radical has been studied in the temperature range 56-202 K by pulsed laser photolysis-laser induced fluorescence in two separate experiments using either a low temperature flow tube coupled to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer or a pulsed Laval nozzle apparatus. The two independent techniques yield rate constants that are in mutual agreement and consistent with the results reported previously below 82 K [Shannon et al. Nat. Chem. 2013, 5, 745-749] and above 210 K [Dillon et al. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2005, 7, 349-355], showing a very sharp increase with decreasing temperature with an onset around 180 K. This onset is also signaled by strong chemiluminescence tentatively assigned to formaldehyde, which is consistent with the formation of the methoxy radical at low temperature by quantum tunnelling, and its subsequent reaction with H and OH. Our results add confidence to the previous low temperature rate constant measurements and consolidate the experimental reference data set for further theoretical work required to describe quantitatively the tunnelling mechanism operating in this reaction. An additional measurement of the rate constant at 56 K yielded a value of (4.9 ± 0.8) × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) (2σ), showing that the rate constant is increasing less rapidly at temperatures below 70 K.

A combined experimental and theoretical study of reactions between the hydroxyl radical and oxygenated hydrocarbons relevant to astrochemical environments.

The kinetics of the reactions of the hydroxyl radical (OH) with acetone and dimethyl ether (DME) have been studied between 63-148 K and at a range of pressures using laser-flash photolysis coupled with laser induced fluorescence detection of OH in a pulsed Laval nozzle apparatus. For acetone, a large negative temperature dependence was observed, with the rate coefficient increasing from k1 = (1.6 ± 0.8) × 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) at 148 K to (1.0 ± 0.1) × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) at 79 K, and also increasing with pressure. For DME, a similar behaviour was found, with the rate coefficient increasing from k2 = (3.1 ± 0.5) × 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) at 138 K to (1.7 ± 0.1) × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) at 63 K, and also increasing with pressure. The temperature and pressure dependence of the experimental rate coefficients are rationalised for both reactions by the formation and subsequent stabilisation of a hydrogen bonded complex, with a non-zero rate coefficient extrapolated to zero pressure supportive of quantum mechanical tunnelling on the timescale of the experiments leading to products. In the case of DME, experiments performed in the presence of O2 provide additional evidence that the yield of the CH3OCH2 abstraction product, which can recycle OH in the presence of O2, is ≥50%. The experimental data are modelled using the MESMER (Master Equation Solver for Multi Energy Well Reactions) code which includes a treatment of quantum mechanical tunnelling, and uses energies and structures of transition states and complexes calculated by ab initio methods. Good agreement is seen between experiment and theory, with MESMER being able to reproduce for both reactions the temperature behaviour between ~70-800 K and the pressure dependence observed at ~80 K. At the limit of zero pressure, the model predicts a rate coefficient of ~10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for the reaction of OH with acetone at 20 K, providing evidence that the reaction can proceed quickly in those regions of space where both species have been observed. The results and modelling build considerably on our previous experimental study performed under a much more limited range of conditions (Shannon et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2010, 12, 13511-13514).

Experimental and theoretical study of the kinetics and mechanism of the reaction of OH radicals with dimethyl ether.

The reaction of OH with dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3) has been studied from 195 to 850 K using laser flash photolysis coupled to laser induced fluorescence detection of OH radicals. The rate coefficient from this work can be parametrized by the modified Arrhenius expression k = (1.23 ± 0.46) × 10(-12) (T/298)(2.05±0.23) exp((257 ± 107)/T) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). Including other recent literature data (923-1423 K) gives a modified Arrhenius expression of k1 = (1.54 ± 0.48) × 10(-12) (T/298 K)(1.89±0.16) exp((184 ± 112)/T) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) over the range 195-1423 K. Various isotopomeric combinations of the reaction have also been investigated with deuteration of dimethyl ether leading to a normal isotope effect. Deuteration of the hydroxyl group leads to a small inverse isotope effect. To gain insight into the reaction mechanisms and to support the experimental work, theoretical studies have also been undertaken calculating the energies and structures of the transition states and complexes using high level ab initio methods. The calculations also identify pre- and post-reaction complexes. The calculations show that the pre-reaction complex has a binding energy of ~22 kJ mol(-1). Stabilization into the complex could influence the kinetics of the reaction, especially at low temperatures (<300 K), but there is no direct evidence of this occurring under the experimental conditions of this study. The experimental data have been modeled using the recently developed MESMER (master equation solver for multi energy well reactions) code; the calculated rate coefficients lie within 16% of the experimental values over the temperature range 200-1400 K with a model based on a single transition state. This model also qualitatively reproduces the observed isotope effects, agreeing closely above ~600 K but overestimating them at low temperatures. The low temperature differences may derive from an inadequate treatment of tunnelling and/or from an enhanced role of an outer transition state leading to the pre-reaction complex.

Gas-phase reactions of OH with methyl amines in the presence or absence of molecular oxygen. An experimental and theoretical study.

The rate coefficients for the reaction of OH with the alkyl amines: methylamine (MA), dimethylamine (DMA), trimethylamine (TMA), and ethylamine (EA) have been determined using the technique of pulsed laser photolysis with detection of OH by laser-induced fluorescence as a function of temperature from 298 K to ∼600 K. The rate coefficients (10(11) × k/cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1)) at 298 K in nitrogen bath gas (typically 5-25 Torr) are: k(OH+MA) = 1.97 ± 0.11, k(OH+DMA) = 6.27 ± 0.63, k(OH+TMA) = 5.78 ± 0.48, k(OH+EA) = 2.50 ± 0.13. The reactions all show a negative temperature dependence which can be characterized as: k(OH+MA) = (1.889 ± 0.053) × 10(-11)(T/298 K)(-(0.56±0.10)), k(OH+DMA) = (6.39 ± 0.35) × 10(-11)(T/298 K)(-(0.75±0.18)), k(OH+TMA) = (5.73 ± 0.15) × 10(-11)(T/298 K)(-(0.71±0.10)), and k(OH+EA) = (2.54 ± 0.08) × 10(-11)(T/298 K)(-(0.68±0.10)). OH and OD reactions have very similar kinetics. Potential energy surfaces (PES) for the reactions have been characterized at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level and improved single point energies of stationary points obtained in CCSD(T) and CCSD(T*)-F12a calculations. The PES for all reactions are characterized by the formation of pre- and post-reaction complexes and submerged barriers. The calculated rate coefficients are in good agreement with experiment; the overall rate coefficients are relatively insensitive to variations of the barrier heights within typical chemical accuracy, but the branching ratios vary significantly. The rate coefficients for the reactions of OH/OD with MA, DMA, and EA do not vary with added oxygen, but for TMA a significant reduction in the rate coefficient is observed consistent with OH recycling from a chemically activated peroxy radical. OH regeneration is pressure-dependent and is not significant at 298 K and atmospheric pressure, but the efficiency of recycling increases strongly with temperature. The PES for OH recycling have been calculated. There is evidence that the primary process in TMA photolysis at 248 nm is the loss of H atoms.

On the mechanism of iodine oxide particle formation.

The formation of atmospherically relevant iodine oxides IxOy (x = 1,…,3, y = 1,…,7) has been studied experimentally using time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with a soft ionisation source, complemented with ab initio electronic structure calculations of ionisation potentials and bond energies at a high level of theory presented in detail in the accompanying paper (Galvez et al., 2013). For the first time, direct experimental evidence of the I2Oy (y = 1,…,5) molecules in the gas phase has been obtained. These chemical species are observed alongside their precursors (IO and OIO) in experiments where large amounts of aerosol are also generated. The measured relative concentrations of the IxOy molecules and their dependence on ozone concentration have been investigated by using chemical modelling and rate theory calculations. It is concluded that I2O4 is the most plausible candidate to initiate nucleation, while the contribution of I2O5 in the initial steps is likely to be marginal. The absence of large I3Oy (y = 3,…,6) peaks in the mass spectra and the high stability of the I2O4-I2O4 dimer indicate that dimerisation of I2O4 is the key step in iodine oxide particle nucleation.

Laboratory studies of photochemistry and gas phase radical reaction kinetics relevant to planetary atmospheres.

This review seeks to bring together a selection of recent laboratory work on gas phase photochemistry, kinetics and reaction dynamics of radical species relevant to the understanding of planetary atmospheres other than that of Earth. A majority of work focuses on the rich organic chemistry associated with photochemically initiated reactions in the upper atmospheres of the giant planets. Reactions relevant to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn and with a nitrogen/methane dominated atmosphere, have also received much focus due to potential to explain the chemistry of Earth's prebiotic atmosphere. Analogies are drawn between the approaches of terrestrial and non-terrestrial atmospheric chemistry.

Direct Determination of the Rate Coefficient for the Reaction of OH Radicals with Monoethanol Amine (MEA) from 296 to 510 K.

Monoethanol amine (H2NCH2CH2OH, MEA) has been proposed for large-scale use in carbon capture and storage. We present the first absolute, temperature-dependent determination of the rate coefficient for the reaction of OH with MEA using laser flash photolysis for OH generation, monitoring OH removal by laser-induced fluorescence. The room-temperature rate coefficient is determined to be (7.61 ± 0.76) × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), and the rate coefficient decreases by about 40% by 510 K. The temperature dependence of the rate coefficient is given by k1= (7.73 ± 0.24) × 10(-11)(T/295)(-(0.79±0.11)) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). The high rate coefficient shows that gas-phase processing in the atmosphere will be competitive with uptake onto aerosols.

Temperature dependent kinetics (195-798 K) and H atom yields (298-498 K) from reactions of (1)CH(2) with acetylene, ethene, and propene.

The rate coefficients for the removal of the excited state of methylene, (1)CH(2) (a(1)A(1)), by acetylene, ethene, and propene have been studied over the temperature range 195-798 K by laser flash photolysis, with (1)CH(2) being monitored by laser-induced fluorescence. The rate coefficients of all three reactions exhibit a negative temperature dependence that can be parametrized as k((1)CH(2)+C(2)H(2)) = (3.06 +/- 0.11) x 10(-10) T ((-0.39+/-0.07)) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), k((1)CH(2)+C(2)H(4)) = (2.10 +/- 0.18) x 10(-10) T ((-0.84+/-0.18)) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), k((1)CH(2)+C(3)H(6)) = (3.21 +/- 0.02) x 10(-10) T ((-0.13+/-0.01)) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), where the errors are statistical at the 2sigma level. Removal of (1)CH(2) occurs by chemical reaction and electronic relaxation to ground state triplet methylene. The H atom yields from the reactions of (1)CH(2) with acetylene, ethene, and propene have been determined by laser-induced fluorescence over the temperature range 298-498 K. For the reaction with propene, H atom yields are close to the detection limit, but for acetylene and ethene, the fraction of H atom production is approximately 0.88 and 0.71, respectively, at 298 K, rising to unity by 398 K, with the balance of the reaction with acetylene presumed to be electronic relaxation. Experimental constraints limit studies to a maximum of 1 Torr of bath gas; master equation calculations using an approach that allows treatment of intermediates with deep energy wells have been carried out to explore the role of collisional stabilization for the reaction of (1)CH(2) with acetylene. Stabilization is calculated to be insignificant under the experimental conditions, but does become significant at higher pressures. Between pressures of 100 and 1000 Torr, propyne and allene are formed in similar amounts with a slight preference for propyne. At higher pressures propyne formation becomes about a factor two greater than that of allene, and above 10(5) Torr (300 < T (K) < 600) cyclopropene formation starts to become significant. The implications of temperature-dependent (1)CH(2) relaxation on the roles of (1)CH(2) in chemical mechanisms for soot formation are discussed.

State resolved measurements of a (1)CH(2) removal confirm predictions of the gateway model for electronic quenching.

Collisional quenching of electronically excited states by inert gases is a fundamental physical process. For reactive excited species such as singlet methylene, (1)CH(2), the competition between relaxation and reaction has important implications in practical systems such as combustion. The gateway model has previously been applied to the relaxation of (1)CH(2) by inert gases [U. Bley and F. Temps, J. Chem. Phys. 98, 1058 (1993)]. In this model, gateway states with mixed singlet and triplet character allow conversion between the two electronic states. The gateway model makes very specific predictions about the relative relaxation rates of ortho and para quantum states of methylene at low temperatures; relaxation from para gateway states leads to faster deactivation independent of the nature of the collision partner. Experimental data are reported here which for the first time confirm these predictions at low temperatures for helium. However, it was found that in contrast with the model predictions, the magnitude of the effect decreases with increasing size of the collision partner. It is proposed that the attractive potential energy surface for larger colliders allows alternative gateway states to contribute to relaxation removing the dominance of the para gateway states.

A laser induced fluorescence study relating to physical properties of the iodine monoxide radical.

The dispersed fluorescence spectra originating from the v' = 2 and v' = 0 levels of the A(2)Pi(3/2) state of iodine monoxide (IO) have been recorded for the first time after laser induced fluorescence (LIF) excitation in the A(2)Pi(3/2)<-- X(2)Pi(3/2) electronic transition. The results are used to obtain relative Franck-Condon factors for various v'-->v'' transitions in the A(2)Pi(3/2)--> X(2)Pi(3/2) system up to v'' = 12 and compared with theoretical predictions. A fluorescence quenching study of the A(2)Pi(3/2) state of IO has also been performed, revealing that collisional quenching and rotational energy transfer (RET) are rapid in the A(2)Pi(3/2) state of IO. The J'-dependence to fluorescence quenching of the A(2)Pi(3/2) (v' = 2) state of IO by N(2) suggests a collisional predissociation mechanism.

Studies on the Cl + C2H5I reaction; site specific abstraction reactions and thermodynamics of adduct formation studied by observation of HCL product.

The reaction of chlorine atoms with alkyl iodides can play a role in the chemistry of the marine boundary layer. Previous studies have shown that at room temperature the reaction takes place via a complex mechanism including adduct formation. For the Cl + ethyl iodide reaction results on the thermodynamics of adduct formation and on the product yields are inconsistent. The kinetics of the reaction Cl + C(2)H(5)I have been studied by the direct observation of the HCl product in real time flash photolysis/IR absorption experiments as a function of temperature from 273 to 450 K. At temperatures above 375 K kinetic measurements confirm a direct process and the rate coefficient determined (4.85 +/- 0.55) x 10(-11) exp((-363 +/- 51)/T) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) is in good agreement with previous direct determinations. Product yield studies have also been undertaken by comparing the HCl signal from Cl + C(2)H(5)I with that from a calibration reaction which shows that HCl is the sole product of the reaction at these temperatures. Yield studies with selectively deuterated ethyl iodide demonstrate that abstraction occurs predominantly from the alpha site, with the selectivity decreasing with temperature. Extrapolation of the yield data to 298 K predicts an alpha:beta ratio of 0.68:0.32. At temperatures between 273 and 325 K a biexponential growth was observed for the HCl signal consistent with adduct formation. Analysis of the HCl time profiles allowed the extractions of the forward and reverse rate coefficients for adduct formation and hence the calculations of the thermodynamic properties of adduct formation. A third law analysis yields a value of Delta(r)H = (-54 +/- 4) kJ mol(-1). The value of Delta(r)H is in good agreement with a previous third law determination (J. J. Orlando, C. A. Piety, J. M. Nicovich, M. L. McKee, P. H. Wine, J. Phys. Chem. A, 2005, 109, 6659).