High temperature collisional energy transfer in highly vibrationally excited molecules. III: Isotope effects in tert-butyl bromide systems

Changes in the magnitude of 〈ΔE_down〉, the average downward collisional energy transferred between a highly vibrationally excited reactant molecule and an inert bath gas, upon perdeuteration of the substrate are reported for tert-butyl bromide dilute in Ar, Kr, N₂, and CO₂. The technique of pressure-dependent very low-pressure pyrolysis (VLPP) was used to obtain the absolute values of 〈ΔE_down〉, which are for C₄H₉Br, 230 (Ar), 285 (Kr), 270 (N₂), and 365 (CO₂) while for C₄D₉Br, 200 (Ar), 250 (Kr), 220 (N₂), and 335 (CO₂), all in cm^?1 at ca. 720 K. The estimated uncertainties in these values are ca. ± 10%. These observed 〈ΔE_down〉, values and trends found with results from this series of isotope studies, are compared with current theoretical models. Extrapolated high-pressure temperature-dependent rate coefficients (s^?1) for the thermal decomposition of reactant are 10^13.8±0.3 exp(?175 ± 8 kJ mol^?1/RT) for C₄H₉Br and 10^14.3±0.3 exp(?183 ± 8 kJ mol^?1/RT) for C₄D₉Br. These results are in accord with other studies and the expected isotope effect.