Kinetics of OH and Cl reactions with a series of aldehydes

The rate constants for the reactions of the OH radicals with a series of aldehydes have been measured in the temperature range 243–372 K, using the pulsed laser photolysis‐pulsed laser induced fluorescence method. The obtained data for propanaldehyde, iso‐butyraldehyde, tert‐butyraldehyde, and n‐pentaldehyde were as follows (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): (a) in the Arrhenius form: (5.3 ± 0.5) × 10⁻¹² exp[(405 ± 30)/T], (7.3 ± 1.9) × 10⁻¹² exp[(390 ± 78)/T], (4.7 ± 0.8) × 10⁻¹² exp[(564 ± 52)/T], and (9.9 ± 1.9) × 10⁻¹² exp[(306 ± 56)/T]; (b) at 298 K: (2.0 ± 0.3) × 10⁻¹¹, (2.6 ± 0.4) × 10⁻¹¹, (2.7 ± 0.4) × 10⁻¹¹, and (2.8 ± 0.2) × 10⁻¹¹, respectively. In addition, using the relative rate method and alkanes as the reference compounds, the room‐temperature rate constants have been measured for the reactions of chlorine atoms with propanaldehyde, iso‐butyraldehyde, tert‐butyraldehyde, n‐pentaldehyde, acrolein, and crotonaldehyde. The obtained values were (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): (1.4 ± 0.3) × 10⁻¹⁰, (1.7 ± 0.3)10⁻¹⁰, (1.6 ± 0.3) × 10⁻¹⁰, (2.6 ± 0.3) × 10⁻¹⁰, (2.2 ± 0.3) × 10⁻¹⁰, and (2.6 ± 0.3) × 10⁻¹⁰, respectively. The results are presented and discussed in terms of structure‐reactivity relationships and atmospheric importance. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 676–685, 2000     

Rate constants for the gas‐phase reactions of chlorine atoms with a series of ketones

The pulsed laser photolysis‐resonance fluorescence technique has been used to determine the absolute rate coefficient for the Cl atom reaction with a series of ketones, at room temperature (298 ± 2) K and in the pressure range 15–60 Torr. The rate coefficients obtained (in units of cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹) are: acetone (3.06 ± 0.38) × 10⁻¹², 2‐butanone (3.24 ± 0.38) × 10⁻¹¹, 3‐methyl‐2‐butanone (7.02 ± 0.89) × 10⁻¹¹, 4‐methyl‐2‐pentanone (9.72 ± 1.2) × 10⁻¹¹, 5‐methyl‐2‐hexanone (1.06 ± 0.14) × 10⁻¹⁰, chloroacetone (3.50 ± 0.45) × 10⁻¹², 1,1‐dichloroacetone (4.16 ± 0.57) × 10⁻¹³, and 1,1,3‐trichloroacetone (<2.4 × 10⁻¹²). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 62–66, 2000     

Chlorine-Substituted N-Heteroacene Analogues Acting as Organic Semiconductors for Solution-Processed n-type Organic Field-Effect Transistors

High performance solution processable n-type organic semiconductor is an essential element to realize low-cost, all organic and flexible composite logic circuits. In the design of n-type semiconducting materials, tuning the LUMO level of compounds is a key point. As a strong electron withdrawing unit, the introduction of chlorine atom into the chemical structure can increase the electron affinity of the material and reduce the LUMO energy level. Here, a series chlorine substituted N-heteroacene analogues of 6,7,8,9-tetrachloro-4,11-bis(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)phenyl)-[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-b]phenazine (O4Cl), 6,7,8,9-tetrachloro-4,11-bis(4-((2-ethylhexyl)thio)phenyl)-[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-b]phenazine (S4Cl), 1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11-octachloro-6,13-bis(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)phenyl)quinoxalino[2,3-b]phenazine (8Cl) and 12Cl have been synthesized and characterized. Solution-processed organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on these four compounds exhibit good electron mobilities of 0.04 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, 0.01 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, 2×10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 3×10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively, under ambient conditions. The results suggest that these chlorine substituted π-conjugated N-heteroacene analogues are promising n-type semiconductors in OFET applications.     

Kinetics of the gas-phase reactions of indan,indene, fluorene,and 9,10-dihydroanthracene with OH radicals,NO3 radicals,and O3

The kinetics of the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals, NO₃ radicals, and O₃ with indan, indene, fluorene, and 9,10-dihydroanthracene have been studied at 297 ± 2 K and atmospheric pressure of air. The rate constants, or upper limits thereof, for the O₃ reactions were (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ units): indan, < 3 × 10⁻¹⁹; indene, (1.7 ± 0.5) × 10⁻¹⁶, fluorene, < 2 × 10⁻¹⁹; and 9,10-dihydroanthracene, (9.0 ± 2.0) × 10⁻¹⁹. Using a relative rate method, the rate constants for the OH radical and NO₃ radical reactions, respectively, were (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ units): indan, (1.9 ± 0.5) × 10⁻¹¹ and (6.6 ± 2.0) × 10⁻¹⁵; indene, (7.8 ± 2.0) × 10⁻¹¹ and (4.1 ± 1.5) × 10⁻¹²; fluorene, (1.6 ± 0.5) × 10⁻¹¹ and (3.5 ± 1.2) × 10⁻¹⁴; and 9,10-dihydroanthracene, (2.3 ± 0.6) × 10⁻¹¹ and (1.2 ± 0.4) × 10⁻¹². These kinetic data were used to assess the relative contributions of the various reaction pathways. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 299–309, 1997.     

Rate coefficients for the gas‐phase reaction of OH radicals with selected dihydroxybenzenes and benzoquinones

Rate coefficients have been determined for the gas‐phase reaction of the hydroxyl (OH) radical with the aromatic dihydroxy compounds 1,2‐dihydroxybenzene, 1,2‐dihydroxy‐3‐methylbenzene and 1,2‐dihydroxy‐4‐methylbenzene as well as the two benzoquinone derivatives 1,4‐benzoquinone and methyl‐1,4‐benzoquinone. The measurements were performed in a large‐volume photoreactor at (300 ± 5) K in 760 Torr of synthetic air using the relative kinetic technique. The rate coefficients obtained using isoprene, 1,3‐butadiene, and E‐2‐butene as reference hydrocarbons are k_OH(1,2‐dihydroxybenzene) = (1.04 ± 0.21) × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ s⁻¹, k_OH(1,2‐dihydroxy‐3‐methylbenzene) = (2.05 ± 0.43) × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ s⁻¹, k_OH(1,2‐dihydroxy‐4‐methylbenzene) = (1.56 ± 0.33) × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ s⁻¹, k_OH(1,4‐benzoquinone) = (4.6 ± 0.9) × 10⁻¹² cm³ s⁻¹, k_OH(methyl‐1,4‐benzoquinone) = (2.35 ± 0.47) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ s⁻¹. This study represents the first determination of OH radical reaction‐rate coefficients for these compounds. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 696–702, 2000     

Rate constants for the gas-phase reaction of the hydroxyl radical with a series of dimethylbenzaldehydes and trimethylphenols at atmospheric pressure

Rate constants for three dimethylbenzaldehydes and two trimethylphenols have been determined for the OH reactions at 298±2 K and atmospheric pressure using a relative rate method. The OH reaction rate constants were placed on an absolute basis using the literature rate constant for 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene of (3.25±0.5)×10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹s⁻¹). The measured rate constants were (in units of cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹) 2,4-dimethyl-benzaldehyde, (4.32±0.67)×10⁻¹¹; 2,5-dimethylbenzaldehyde, (4.37±0.68)×10⁻¹¹; 3,4-dimethylbenzaldehyde, (2.14±0.34)×10⁻¹¹; and 2,3,5- trimethylphenol, (12.5±1.9)×10⁻¹¹, 2,3,6-trimethylphenol, (11.8±1.8)×10⁻¹¹. Using an average OH concentration of 8.7×10⁵ molecule cm⁻³, the estimated atmospheric lifetimes are ca. 7.5 h for 2,4- and 2,5-dimethylbenzaldehydes, ca. 15 h for 3,4-dimethylbenzaldehyde, ca. 2.5 h for 2,3,5- and 2,3,6-trimethylphenols. The reactivities of the trimethylphenols exceed those of the dimethyl-benzaldehydes by more than a factor of 3. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 523–525, 1997.     

Kinetics of the reaction of OH radicals with a series of esters under simulated conditions at 295 K

The rate constants of the isopropyl acetate, n-propyl acetate, isopropenyl acetate, n-propenyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, and ethyl butyrate reactions with OH radicals were determined in purified air under atmospheric conditions, at 750 torr and (295 ± 2) K. A relative rate experimental method was used; n-heptane, n-octane, and n-nonane were the reference compounds, with, respectively, rate constants for the reaction with OH of 7.12 × 10⁻¹², 8.42 × 10⁻¹², and 9.70 × 10⁻¹² molecule⁻¹ cm³s⁻¹. The following rate constants were obtained in units of 10⁻¹² molecule⁻¹ cm³s⁻¹; isopropyl acetate, (3.12 ± 0.29); n-propyl acetate, (1.97 ± 0.24); isopropenyl acetate, (62.53 ± 1.24); n-propenyl acetate, (24.57 ± 0.24); n-butyl acetate, (3.29 ± 0.35); and ethyl butyrate, (4.37 ± 0.42). Tertiary butyl acetate has a low reactivity with OH radicals (<1 × 10⁻¹² molecule⁻¹ cm³s⁻¹). © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetic study of gas-phase reactions of pinonaldehyde and structurally related compounds

Rate constants for the reactions of OH, NO₃, and O₃ with pinonaldehyde and the structurally related compounds 3-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutan-2-one, cyclobutyl-methylketone, and 2,2,3-trimethyl-cyclobutyl-1-ethanone have been measured at 300±5 K using on-line Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The rate constants obtained for the reactions with pinonaldehyde were: k_OH=(9.1±1.8)×10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, k_NO3=(5.4±1.8)×10⁻¹⁴ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, and k_O3=(8.9±1.4)×10⁻²⁰ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. The results obtained indicate a chemical lifetime of pinonaldehyde in the troposphere of about two hours under typical daytime conditions, [OH]=1.6×10⁶ molecule cm⁻³. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 527–533, 1997.     

Relative Rate Studies of the Reactions of Atomic Chlorine with Acetone and Cyclic Ketones

Rate coefficients have been measured for Cl atom reactions under ambient conditions with acetone and four cyclic ketones. Cl was generated by UV photolysis of Cl₂, and other species were monitored by FT‐IR spectroscopy. The measurements yield k(Cl + acetone) = (2.0 ± 0.7) × 10⁻¹², k(Cl + cyclobutanone) = (10.1 ± 0.8) × 10⁻¹¹, k(Cl + cycloheptanone) = (24.0 ± 2.3) × 10⁻¹¹, k(Cl + 2‐methyl cyclopentanone) = (15.2 ± 1.2) × 10⁻¹¹, and k(Cl + 2‐methyl cyclohexanone) = (11.2 ± 1.0) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, where the uncertainties represent 95% confidence limits. These results are discussed in the context of structure‐activity relationships. We also present a prediction for Cl + cyclopropanone based on ab initio properties of the transition state.     

Atmospheric Chemistry of α‐Diketones: Kinetics of C5 and C6 Compounds with Cl Atoms and OH Radicals

Carbonyls play an important role in atmospheric chemistry due to their formation in the photooxidation of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds and their high atmospheric reactivity. The Cl‐initiated kinetics of two α‐diketones (2,3‐pentanedione (PTD) and 2,3‐hexanedione (HEX)) have been determined as well as the OH + HEX rate constant using atmospheric simulation chamber experiments and the relative rate method. Up to three different reference compounds were used to assess robust results. The following rate constants (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹) have been obtained at 298 K: k (Cl + PTD) = (1.6 ± 0.2) × 10⁻¹¹, k (Cl + HEX) = (8.8 ± 0.4) × 10⁻¹¹, and k (OH + HEX) = (3.6 ± 0.7) × 10⁻¹² with a global uncertainty of 30%. The present determinations of Cl‐ and OH‐ reaction rate constants for HEX constitute first measurements. Using the present measurements, a recently improved structure–activity relationship for Cl + ketone reactions has been updated by introducing an F (–COCO–) factor of 8.33 × 10⁻⁴. Atmospheric lifetime calculations indicate that chlorine‐initiated oxidation may be a significant α‐diketone sink in the marine‐boundary layer or in places where high Cl concentrations may be found.     

Rate coefficients for the reactions of chlorine atoms with methanol and acetaldehyde

Rate coefficients have been measured for the reactions of Cl atoms with methanol (k₁) and acetaldehyde (k₂) using both absolute (laser photolysis with resonance fluorescence) and relative rate methods at 295 ± 2 K. The measured rate coefficients were (units of 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): absolute method, k₁ = (5.1 ± 0.4), k₂ = (7.3 ± 0.7); relative method k₁ = (5.6 ± 0.6), k₂ = (8.4 ± 1.0). Based on a critical evaluation of the literature data, the following rate coefficients are recommended: k₁ = (5.4 ± 0.9) × 10⁻¹¹ and k₂ = (7.8 ± 1.3) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ (95% confidence limits). The results significantly improve the confidence in the database for reactions of Cl atoms with these oxygenated organics. Rate coefficients were also measured for the reactions of Cl₂ with CH₂OH, k₅ = (2.9 ± 0.6) × 10⁻¹¹ and CH₃CO, k₆ = (4.3 ± 1.5) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, by observing the regeneration of Cl atoms in the absence of O₂. Based on these results and those from a previous relative rate study, the rate coefficient for CH₃CO + O₂ at the high pressure limit is estimated to be (5.7 ± 1.9) × 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 31: 776–784, 1999     

Kinetics of the gas-phase reactions of the oh radical with selected glycol ethers,glycols, and alcohols

Using a relative rate method, rate constants have been measured for the gas-phase reactions of the OH radical with 1-hexanol, 1-methoxy-2-propanol, 2-butoxyethanol, 1,2-ethanediol, and 1,2-propanediol at 296±2 K, of (in units of 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): 15.8±3.5; 20.9±3.1; 29.4±4.3; 14.7±2.6; and 21.5±4.0, respectively, where the error limits include the estimated overall uncertainties in the rate constants for the reference compounds. These OH radical reaction rate constants are higher than certain of the literature values, by up to a factor of 2. Rate constants were also measured for the reactions of 1-methoxy-2-propanol and 2-butoxyethanol with NO₃ radicals and O₃, with respective NO₃ radical and O₃ reaction rate constants (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ units) of: 1-methoxy-2-propanol, (1.7±0.7)×10⁻¹⁵, and <1.1×10⁻¹⁹; and 2-butoxyethanol, (3.0±1.2)×10⁻¹⁵, and <1.1×10⁻¹⁹. The dominant tropospheric loss process for the alcohols, glycols, and glycol ethers studied here is calculated to be by reaction with the OH radical, with lifetimes of 0.4–0.8 day for a 24 h average OH radical concentration of 1.0×10⁶ molecule cm⁻³. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 30: 533–540, 1998     

Cavity ring‐down spectroscopic study of the kinetics of the reactions of FCO radicals with O2 and NO at 295 K

Cavity ring‐down UV absorption spectroscopy was used to study the kinetics of the recombination reaction of FCO radicals and the reactions with O₂ and NO in 4.0–15.5 Torr total pressure of N₂ diluent at 295 K. k(FCO + FCO) is (1.8 ± 0.3) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. The pressure dependence of the reactions with O₂ and NO in air at 295 K is described using a broadening factor of Fc = 0.6 and the following low (k₀) and high (k_∞) pressure limit rate constants: k₀(FCO + O₂) = (8.6 ± 0.4) × 10⁻³¹ cm⁶ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, k_∞(FCO + O₂) = (1.2 ± 0.2) × 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, k₀(FCO + NO) = (2.4 ± 0.2) × 10⁻³⁰ cm⁶ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, and k_∞ (FCO + NO) = (1.0 ± 0.2) × 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. The uncertainties are two standard deviations. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 130–135, 2001     

Temperature dependence of the reaction of NO with CFCl2CH2O2 and CH3CFClO2 radicals

The reaction of NO with the peroxy radical CFCl₂CH₂O₂, and with CH₃CFClO₂ was investigated at 8(SINGLEBOND)20 torr and 263(SINGLEBOND)321 K by UV flash photolysis of CFCl₂CH₃/O₂/NO gas mixtures. The kinetics were determined from observations of the growth rate of the CFCl₂CH₂O radical and the decay rate of NO by time-resolved mass spectrometry. The temperature dependence of the bimolecular rate coefficients, with their statistical uncertainties, can be expressed as (2.9 ± 0.7) e^(435±96)/T × 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule ⁻¹s⁻¹, or (1.3 ± 0.2) (T/300)^{&minus(1.5±0.2)} × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ for NO + CFCl₂CH₂O₂, and (3.3 ± 0.6)e^(516±73)/T × 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, or (2.0 ± 0.3) (T/300)^{&minus(1.8±0.3)} × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ for NO + CH₃CFClO₂. No pressure dependence of the rate coefficients could be detected over the 8(SINGLEBOND)20 torr range investigated. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A kinetic study of the reaction of chlorine and fluorine atoms with CF3CHO at 295 ± 2 K

Using a relative rate technique the reactions of chlorine and fluorine atoms with CF₃CHO have been determined to proceed with rate constants of (1.8 ± 0.4) × 10⁻¹² and (2.7 ± 0.1)×10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. Experiments were performed at 295 ± 2 K and 700 torr total pressure of nitrogen. The results are discussed with respect to the design and interpretation of laboratory studies of the atmospheric chemistry of CFC replacements. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Quenching of I(2P½) by R-OH compounds. Influence of the alkyl group on the quenching efficiency

The deactivation of I(²P_½) by R-OH compounds (R = H, C_nH_2n+1) was studied using time-resolved atomic absorption at 206.2 nm. The second-order quenching rate constants determined for H₂O, CH₃OH, C₂H₅OH, n-C₃H₇OH, i-C₃H₇OH, n-C₄H₉OH, i-C₄H₉OH, s-C₄H₉OH, t-C₄H₉OH, are respectively, 2.4 ± 0.3 × 10⁻¹², 5.5 ± 0.8 × 10⁻¹², 8 ± 1 × 10⁻¹², 10 ± 1 × 10⁻¹², 10 ± 1 × 10⁻¹², 11.1 ± 0.9 × 10⁻¹², 9.8 ± 0.9 × 10⁻¹², 7.1 ± 0.7 × 10⁻¹², and 4.1 ± 0.4× 10⁻¹² cm³ molec⁻¹ s⁻¹ at room temperature. It is believed that a quasi-resonant electronic to vibrational energy transfer mechanism accounts for most of the features of the quenching process. The influence of the alkyl group and its role in the total quenching rate is also discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetic study of the reaction OH + HI by laser photolysis-resonance fluorescence

The gas phase reaction of OH radicals with hydrogen iodide (HI) has been studied using a Laser Photolysis-Resonance Fluorescence (LP-RF) apparatus, recently developed in our group. The measured rate constant at 298 K was (2.7 ± 0.2) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. This rate constant is compared with the ones of the reactions OH + HCl and OH + HBr. The role of the reaction OH + HI in marine tropospheric chemistry is discussed. In addition, the LP-RF apparatus was tested and validated by measuring the following rate constants (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ units): 𝓀(OH + HNO₃) = (1.31 ± 0.06) × 10⁻¹³ at p = 27 and 50 Torr of argon and 𝓀(OH + C₃H₈) = (1.22 ± 0.08) × 10⁻¹². These rate constants are in very good agreement with the literature data.     

Kinetics of the gas‐phase reactions of Cl atom with selected C2–C5 unsaturated hydrocarbons at 283 < T < 323 K

The reaction of Cl atoms with a series of C₂–C₅ unsaturated hydrocarbons has been investigated at atmospheric pressure of 760 Torr over the temperature range 283–323 K in air and N₂ diluents. The decay of the hydrocarbons was followed using a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector (GC‐FID), and the kinetic constants were determined using a relative rate technique with n‐hexane as a reference compound. The Cl atoms were generated by UV photolysis (λ ≥ 300 nm) of Cl₂ molecules. The following absolute rate constants (in units of 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, with errors representing ±2σ) for the reaction at 295 ± 2 K have been derived from the relative rate constants combined to the value 34.5 × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ for the Cl + n‐hexane reaction: ethene (9.3 ± 0.6), propyne (22.1 ± 0.3), propene (27.6 ± 0.6), 1‐butene (35.2 ± 0.7), and 1‐pentene (48.3 ± 0.8). The temperature dependence of the reactions can be expressed as simple Arrhenius expressions (in units of 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): k_ethene = (0.39 ± 0.22) × 10⁻¹¹ exp{(226 ± 42)/T}, k_propyne = (4.1 ± 2.5) × 10⁻¹¹ exp{(118 ± 45)/T}, k_propene = (1.6 ± 1.8) × 10⁻¹¹ exp{(203 ± 79)/T}, k_1‐butene = (1.1 ± 1.3) × 10⁻¹¹ exp{(245 ± 90)/T}, and k_1‐pentene = (4.0 ± 2.2) × 10⁻¹¹ exp{(423 ± 68)/T}. The applicability of our results to tropospheric chemistry is discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 478–484, 2000     

A kinetic study of chlorine radical reactions with ketones by laser photolysis technique

Rate coefficients for reactions between Cl radicals and four ketones were determined at 294 ± 1 K with a relative rate method using a laser photolysis technique. The experiments were conducted in synthetic air in a flow system at atmospheric pressure. A mixture of Cl₂/ClONO₂ was photolyzed and the formation of NO₃ through the reaction Cl + ClONO₂ → Cl₂ + NO₃ was measured with and without ketones in the reaction mixture. The NO₃ radical concentration was measured by optical absorption using a diode laser as the light source. The rate coefficients for the Cl-ketone reactions could then be evaluated. The following rate coefficients were obtained (in units of cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): cyclohexanone (7.00 ± 1.15) × 10⁻¹¹; cyclopentanone (4.76 ± 0.33) × 10⁻¹¹; acetone (1.69 ± 0.32) × 10⁻¹²; and 2,3-butanedione (7.62 ± 1.66) × 10⁻¹³. The accuracy of the method employed was tested by using the well-studied reaction between Cl and methane and a rate coefficient of (9.37 ± 1.04) × 10⁻¹⁴ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ was obtained, which is in good agreement with previous work. The errors are at the 95% confidence level. The results in this work indicate that a carbonyl group in a ketone lowers the reactivity towards α-hydrogen abstraction by Cl radicals, compared to the corresponding Cl-alkane reactions. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 29: 195–201, 1997.     

Symmetric Mixed Sulfur–Selenium Fused Ring Systems as Potential Materials for Organic Field-Effect Transistors

A reliable synthetic protocol toward a series of fused chalcogenopheno[1]benzochalcogenophene (CBC) building blocks was developed based on a Fiesselmann reaction. The obtained CBC units were applied in McMurry and Stille coupling reactions toward symmetric regioisomeric ene-linked dimers. These π-conjugated compounds were characterized regarding their photophysical and electrochemical properties and proved to be materials with reduced HOMO–LUMO gaps compared to their sulfur-based analogues. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments revealed strong intermolecular selenium–selenium and selenium–carbon interactions depending on the position and number of incorporated selenium atoms. Good field-effect transistor performance with charge carrier mobilities up to 4×10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and high on/off ratios could be observed.