The multichannel reaction NH2 + NH2 at ambient temperature and low pressures

NH₂ profiles were measured in a discharge flow reactor at ambient temperature by monitoring reactants and products with an electron impact mass spectrometer. At the low pressures used (0.7 and 1.0 mbar) the gas-phase self-reaction is dominated by a ‘bimolecular’ H₂-eliminating exit channel with a rate coefficient of k_3b(300 K) = (1.3 ± 0.5) × 10^?12 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 and leading to N₂H₂ + H₂ or NNH₂ + H₂. Although the wall loss for NH₂ radicals is relatively small (k_w ≈ 6–14 s^?1), the contribution to the overall NH₂ decay is important due to the relatively slow gas-phase reaction. The heterogeneous reaction yields N₂H₄ molecules.