Determination of the rate constant for the OH(X2Pi) + OH(X()Pi) --> O(3P) + H2O reaction over the temperature range 293-373 K

The rate constant for the reaction OH(X2Pi) + OH(X2Pi) --> O(3P) + H2O has been measured over the temperature range 293-373 K and pressure range 2.6-7.8 Torr in both Ne and Ar bath gases. The OH radical was created by 193 nm laser photolysis of N2O to produce O(1D) atoms that reacted rapidly with H2O to produce the OH radical. The OH radical was detected by quantitative time-resolved near-infrared absorption spectroscopy using Lambda-doublet resolved rotational transitions of the first overtone of OH(2,0) near 1.47 microm. The temporal concentration profiles of OH were simulated using a kinetic model, and rate constants were determined by minimizing the sum of the squares of residuals between the experimental profiles and the model calculations. At 293 K the rate constant for the title reaction was found to be (2.7 +/- 0.9) x 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), where the uncertainty includes an estimate of both random and systematic errors at the 95% confidence level. The rate constant was measured at 347 and 373 K and found to decrease with increasing temperature.