Kinetics of hydroxyl radical reactions with formaldehyde and 1,3,5-trioxane between 290 and 600 K

Absolute rate constants are measured for the reactions: OH + CH₂O, over the temperature range 296–576 K and for OH + 1,3,5-trioxane over the range 292–597 K. The technique employed is laser photolysis of H₂O₂ or HNO₃ to produce OH, and laser-induced fluorescence to directly monitor the relative OH concentration. The results fit the following Arrhenius equations: k (CH₂O) = (1.66 ± 0.20) × 10^?11 exp?(170 ± 80)/RT] cm³ s^?1 and k(1,3,5-trioxane) = (1.36 ± 0.20) × 10^?11 exp?(460 ± 100)/RT] cm³ s^?1. The transition-state theory is employed to model the OH + CH₂O reaction and extrapolate into the combustion regime. The calculated result covering 300 to 2500 K can be represented by the equation: k(CH₂O) = 1.2 × 10^?18 T^2.46 exp(970/RT) cm³ s^?1. An estimate of 91 ± 2 kcal/mol is obtained for the first C? H bond in 1,3,5-trioxane by using a correlation of C? H bond strength with measured activation energies.