Spectroscopic measurement of free radicals (OH, NO3) in the atmosphere

Summary Due to their high chemical reactivity free radicals are the driving force for most chemical processes in the atmosphere, this is true, in particular, for OH- and NO₃-radicals. Thus, knowledge of the concentration of those species in the atmosphere is a key requirement for the investigation of atmospheric chemistry. The low concentration of free radicals makes measurements particularly difficult, however. Among several techniques applied to the problem UV/visible differential absorption spectroscopy appears to be the most successful for the observation of OH and NO₃. Detection limits of the order of 10⁶ and 10⁷ molec/cm³, respectively, have been reached, which are sufficiently low to resolve diurnal profiles of both species. The relative importance of both radicals in the NO_x to nitric acid conversion is discussed.     

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.     

Spectroscopic analysis of asymmetric top free radicals

Several key problems involved in the analyses of spectra of asymmetric top molecules, i.e., the effective Hamiltonian, the representation and basis vector, identification of energy levels, the selection rules, the relative intensity, and Zeeman tuning rate, were elucidated systematically. Introducing the high-order centrifugal distortion terms into the effective Hamiltonian, the precision for calculation has been improved substantially, which allows us to analyze the high-lying rotational transitions. A global analysis of all available spectra of¹⁴N¹⁶O₂ in the ground vibronic state has been made to obtain a set of molecular constants of¹⁴N¹⁶O₂ in the ground vibronic state which is the most precise and extensive so far. Using the improved parameters, some FIR LMR lines left unassigned hitherto have been identified successfully.     

Determination of the rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of methyl butenol with OH radicals,ozone, NO3 radicals,and Cl atoms

Using a relative rate method, rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) with OH radicals, ozone, NO₃ radicals, and Cl atoms have been investigated using FTIR. The measured values for MBO at 298±2 K and 740±5 torr total pressure are: k_OH=(3.9±1.2)×10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, k_O3=(8.6±2.9)×10⁻¹⁸ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, k=(8.6±2.9)×10⁻¹⁵ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, and k_Cl=(4.7±1.0)×10⁻¹⁰ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. Atmospheric lifetimes have been estimated with respect to the reactions with OH, O₃, NO₃, and Cl. The atmospheric relevance of this compound as a precursor for acetone is, also, briefly discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet: 30: 589–594, 1998     

Kinetics and products of the gas-phase reactions of divinyl sulfoxide with OH and NO3 radicals and O3

Using relative rate methods, rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of divinyl sulfoxide [CH 2CHS(O)CHCH 2; DVSO] with NO 3 radicals and O 3 have been measured at 296 +/- 2 K, and rate constants for the reaction with OH radicals have been measured over the temperature range of 277-349 K. Rate constants obtained for the NO 3 radical and O 3 reactions at 296 +/- 2 K were (6.1 +/- 1.4) x 10 (-16) and (4.3 +/- 1.0) x 10 (-19) cm (3) molecule (-1) s (-1), respectively. For the OH radical reaction, the temperature-dependent rate expression obtained was k = 4.17 x 10 (-12)e ((858 +/- 141)/ T ) cm (3) molecule (-1) s (-1) with a 298 K rate constant of (7.43 +/- 0.71) x 10 (-11) cm (3) molecule (-1) s (-1), where, in all cases, the errors are two standard deviations and do not include the uncertainties in the rate constants for the reference compounds. Divinyl sulfone was observed as a minor product of both the OH radical and NO 3 radical reactions at 296 +/- 2 K. Using in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, CO, CO 2, SO 2, HCHO, and divinyl sulfone were observed as products of the OH radical reaction, with molar formation yields of 35 +/- 11, 2.2 +/- 0.8, 33 +/- 4, 54 +/- 6, and 5.4 +/- 0.8%, respectively, in air. For the experimental conditions employed, aerosol formation from the OH radical-initiated reaction of DVSO in the presence of NO was minor, being approximately 1.5%. The data obtained here for DVSO are compared with literature data for the corresponding reactions of dimethyl sulfoxide.     

Kinetic study of the gas-phase reactions of OH and NO3 radicals and O3 with selected vinyl ethers

Kinetic studies on the gas-phase reactions of OH and NO3 radicals and ozone with ethyl vinyl ether (EVE), propyl vinyl ether (PVE) and butyl vinyl ether (BVE) have been performed in a 405 L borosilicate glass chamber at 298 +/- 3 K in synthetic air using in situ FTIR spectroscopy to monitor the reactants. Using a relative kinetic method rate coefficients (in units of cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1)) of (7.79 +/- 1.71) x 10(-11), (9.73 +/- 1.94) x 10(-11) and (1.13 +/- 0.31) x 10(-10) have been obtained for the reaction of OH with EVE, PVE and BVE, respectively, (1.40 +/- 0.35) x 10(-12), (1.85 +/- 0.53) x 10(-12) and (2.10 +/- 0.54) x 10(-12) for the reaction of NO3 with EVE, PVE and BVE, respectively, and (2.06 +/- 0.42) x 10(-16), (2.34 +/- 0.48) x 10(-16) and (2.59 +/- 0.52) x 10(-16) for the ozonolysis of EVE, PVE and BVE, respectively. Tropospheric lifetimes of EVE, PVE and BVE with respect to the reactions with reactive tropospheric species (OH, NO3 and O3) have been estimated for typical OH and NO3 radical and ozone concentrations.     

Kinetics of the gas-phase reactions of NO3 radicals and O3 with 3-methylfuran and the OH radical yield from the O3 reaction

Using relative rate methods, rate constants have been measured for the gas-phase reactions of 3-methylfuran with NO₃ radicals and O₃ at 296 ± 2 K and atmospheric pressure of air. The rate constants determined were (1.31 ± 0.461) × 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ for the NO₃ radical reaction and (2.05 ± 0.52) × 10⁻¹⁷ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ for the O₃ reaction, where the indicated errors include the estimated overall uncertainties in the rate constants for the reference reactions. Based on the cyclohexanone plus cyclohexanol yield in the presence of sufficient cyclohexane to scavenge > 95% of OH radicals formed, it is estimated that the O₃ reaction leads to the formation of OH radicals with a yield of 0.59, uncertain to a factor of ca. 1.5. In the troposphere, 3-methylfuran will react dominantly with the OH radical during daylight hours, and with the NO₃ radical during nighttime hours for nighttime NO₃ radical concentrations > 10⁷ molecule cm ⁻³. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Gas-phase reactions of azulene with OH and NO3 radicals and O3 at 298 ± 2 K

Azulene, which is isomeric with naphthalene, was studied to determine whether it behaves like a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon or an alkene in its gas-phase reactions with OH and NO₃ radicals and O₃. Using relative rate methods, rate constants for the reactions of azulene with OH and NO₃ radicals and O₃ of (2.73 ± 0.56) × 10^?10 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, (3.9) × 10^?10 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, and <7 × 10^?17 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, respectively, were obtained at 298 ± 2 K. The observation that the NO₃ radical reaction did not involve NO₂ in the rate determining step indicates that azulene behaves more like an alkene than a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in this reaction. No conclusive evidence for the formation of nitroazulene(s) from either the OH or NO₃ radical-initiated reaction of azulene (in the presence of NO_x) was obtained.     

Theoretical study of reactions of N2O with NO and OH radicals

The reactions of N₂O with NO and OH radicals have been studied using ab initio molecular orbital theory. The energetics and molecular parameters, calculated by the modified Gaussian-2 method (G2M), have been used to compute the reaction rate constants on the basis of the TST and RRKM theories. The reaction N₂O + NO → N₂ + NO₂ (1) was found to proceed by direct oxygen abstraction and to have a barrier of 47 kcal/mol. The theoretical rate constant, k₁ = 8.74 × 10⁻¹⁹ × T^2.23 exp (−23,292/T) cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, is in close agreement with earlier estimates. The reaction of N₂O with OH at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure is slow and dominated by association, resulting in the HONNO intermediate. The calculated rate constant for 300 K ≤ T ≤ 500 K is lower by a few orders than the upper limits previously reported in the literature. At temperatures higher than 1000 K, the N₂O + OH reaction is dominated by the N₂ + O₂H channel, while the HNO + NO channel is slower by 2–3 orders of magnitude. The calculated rate constants at the temperature range of 1000–5000 K for N₂O + OH → N₂ + O₂H (2A) and N₂O + OH → HNO + NO (2B) are fitted by the following expressions: in units of cm³ molecule ⁻¹s⁻¹. Both N₂O + NO and N₂O + OH reactions are confirmed to enhance, albeit inefficiently, the N₂O decomposition by reducing its activation energy. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the Spectroscopic and Thermochemical Properties of ClO,BrO, IO,and Their Anions

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.     

Comprehensive theoretical studies on the CF3H dissociation mechanism and the reactions of CF3H with OH and H free radicals

The potential energy surfaces for the CF3H unimolecular dissociation reaction and reactions of CF3H with free radical OH and H were investigated at the B3LYP6-311++G(**) and QCISD(T)6-311++G(**) levels and by the G3B3 theory. All the possible stationary and first-order saddle points along the reaction paths were verified by the vibrational analysis. The calculations account for all the product channels. The reaction enthalpies obtained at the G3B3 level are in good agreement with the available experiments. Canonical transition-state theory with Wigner tunneling correction was used to predict the rate constants for the temperature range of 298-2500 K without any artificial adjustment, and tshe computed rate constants for elementary channels can be accurately fitted with three-parameter Arrhenius expressions. The theoretical rate constants of the CF3H+H reaction agree with the available experimental data very well. The theoretical and experimental rate constants for the CF3H+OH reaction are in reasonable agreement. The H abstraction of CF3H by OH is found to be the main reaction channel for the CF3H fire extinguishing reactions while the CF3H unimolecular dissociation reaction plays a negligible role.     

13C, 18O, and D fractionation effects in the reactions of CH3OH isotopologues with Cl and OH radicals

A relative rate experiment is carried out for six isotopologues of methanol and their reactions with OH and Cl radicals. The reaction rates of CH2DOH, CHD2OH, CD3OH, (13)CH3OH, and CH3(18)OH with Cl and OH radicals are measured by long-path FTIR spectroscopy relative to CH3OH at 298 +/- 2 K and 1013 +/- 10 mbar. The OH source in the reaction chamber is photolysis of ozone to produce O((1)D) in the presence of a large excess of molecular hydrogen: O((1)D) + H2 --> OH + H. Cl is produced by the photolysis of Cl2. The FTIR spectra are fitted using a nonlinear least-squares spectral fitting method with measured high-resolution infrared spectra as references. The relative reaction rates defined as alpha = k(light)/k(heavy) are determined to be: k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + (13)CH3OH) = 1.031 +/- 0.020, k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + CH3(18)OH) = 1.017 +/- 0.012, k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + CH2DOH) = 1.119 +/- 0.045, k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + CHD2OH) = 1.326 +/- 0.021 and k(OH + CH3OH)/k(OH + CD3OH) = 2.566 +/- 0.042, k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + (13)CH3OH) = 1.055 +/- 0.016, k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + CH3(18)OH) = 1.025 +/- 0.022, k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + CH2DOH) = 1.162 +/- 0.022 and k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + CHD2OH) = 1.536 +/- 0.060, and k(Cl + CH3OH)/k(Cl + CD3OH) = 3.011 +/- 0.059. The errors represent 2sigma from the statistical analyses and do not include possible systematic errors. Ground-state potential energy hypersurfaces of the reactions were investigated in quantum chemistry calculations at the CCSD(T) level of theory with an extrapolated basis set. The (2)H, (13)C, and (18)O kinetic isotope effects of the OH and Cl reactions with CH3OH were further investigated using canonical variational transition state theory with small curvature tunneling and compared to experimental measurements as well as to those observed in CH4 and several other substituted methane species.     

Reactions of OH and NO radicals with 1,1-dichloroethylene in argon matrices. FTIR and theoretical studies

HONO/1,1-dichloroethylene/Ar matrices were subjected to UV radiation (lambda > 340 nm) from a medium pressure mercury lamp. The products of the photolysis were studied experimentally by means of FTIR spectroscopy and theoretically using the ab initio MP2 method. Two conformers of 2-nitroso-2,2-dichloroethanol molecule have been identified as the final products of the double addition reaction of the OH, NO radicals to 1,1-dichloroethylene. The additional reactive species observed in the matrix is tentatively identified as an 1,1-dichloro-2-hydroxyethyl radical, an intermediate formed by single addition of OH to 1,1-dichloroethylene. The three photoproducts have been identified and observed for the first time. The identities of the products have been justified by comparison with the experiments with deuterated DONO and by performing concentration and annealing studies as well as by reference to the spectral data of related molecules. The results of the quantum mechanical calculations confirmed both the assignment of the new molecules and mechanism of the reaction observed in our experiment.     

Reaction mechanism of ferulic acid scavenging OH and NO2 radicals: a theoretical study

Structural Chemistry - As a derivative of cinnamic acid, ferulic acid (FA) is a bio-active ingredient of many foods and is considered to be a good natural antioxidant. A theoretical study on the...     

Synthesis, structure, and spectroscopic properties of Am(IO3)3 and the photoluminescence behavior of Cm(IO3)3

We have prepared Am(IO(3))(3) as a part of our continuing investigations into the chemistry of the 4f- and 5f-elements' iodates. Single crystals were obtained from the reaction of Am(3+) and H(5)IO(6) under mild hydrothermal conditions. Crystallographic data on an eight-day-old crystal are (21 degrees C, Mo Kalpha, lambda = 0.71073 Angstroms): monoclinic, space group P2(1)/c, a = 7.2300(5) Angstroms, b = 8.5511(6) Angstroms, c = 13.5361(10) Angstroms, beta = 100.035(1) degrees, V = 824.06(18), Z = 4. The structure consists of Am(3+) cations bound by iodate anions to form [Am(IO(3))(8)] units, where the local coordination environment around the americium centers is a distorted dodecahedron. There are three crystallographically unique iodate anions within the structure that bridge in both bidentate and tridentate fashions to form the overall three-dimensional structure. Repeated collection of X-ray diffraction data with time for a crystal of (243)Am(IO(3))(3) revealed an anisotropic expansion of the unit cell, presumably from self-irradiation damage, to generate values of a = 7.2159(7) Angstroms, b = 8.5847(8) Angstroms, c = 13.5715(13) Angstroms, beta = 99.492(4) degrees, V = 829.18(23) after approximately five months. The Am(IO(3))(3) crystals have also been characterized by Raman spectroscopy and the spectral results compared to those for Cm(IO(3))(3). Three strong Raman bands were observed for both compounds and correspond to the I-O symmetric stretching of the three crystallographically distinct iodate anions. The Raman profile suggests a lack of interionic vibrational coupling of the I-O stretching, while intraionic coupling provides symmetric and asymmetric components that correspond to each iodate site. Photoluminescence data for both Am(IO(3))(3) and Cm(IO(3))(3) are reported here for the first time. Assignments for the electronic levels of the actinide cations were based on these photoluminescence measurements and indicate the presence of vibronic coupling between electronic transitions and IO(3)(-) vibrational modes in both compounds.     

LIF studies of iodine oxide chemistry. Part 3. Reactions IO + NO3 --> OIO + NO2, I + NO3 --> IO + NO2, and CH2I + O2 --> (products): implications for the chemistry of the marine atmosphere at night

The technique of pulsed laser photolysis coupled to LIF detection of IO was used to study IO + NO(3) --> OIO + NO(2); I + NO(3) --> (products); CH(2)I + O(2) --> (products); and O((3)P) + CH(2)I(2) --> IO + CH(2)I, at ambient temperature. was observed for the first time in the laboratory and a rate coefficient of k(1 a) = (9 +/- 4) x 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) obtained. For , a value of k(2) (298 K) = (1.0 +/- 0.3) x 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) was obtained, and a IO product yield close to unity determined. IO was also formed in a close-to-unity yield in , whereas in an upper limit of alpha(3)(IO) < 0.12 was derived. The implications of these results for the nighttime chemistry of the atmosphere were discussed. Box model calculations showed that efficient OIO formation in was necessary to explain field observations of large OIO/IO ratios.     

Rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of cis-3-Hexen-1-ol,cis-3-Hexenylacetate,trans-2-Hexenal,and Linalool with OH and NO3 radicals and O3 at 296 ± 2 K,and OH radical formation yields from the O3 reactions

Rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of the four oxygenated biogenic organic compounds cis-3-hexen-1-ol, cis-3-hexenylacetate, trans-2-hexenal, and linalool with OH radicals, NO₃ radicals, and O₃ have been determined at 296 ± 2 K and atmospheric pressure of air using relative rate methods. The rate constants obtained were (in cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 units): cis-3-hexen-1-ol: (1.08 ± 0.22) × 10^?10 for reaction with the OH radical; (2.72 ± 0.83) × 10^?13 for reaction with the NO₃ radical; and (6.4 ± 1.7) × 10^?17 for reaction with O₃; cis-3-hexenylacetate: (7.84 ± 1.64) × 10^?11 for reaction with the OH radical; (2.46 ± 0.75) × 10^?13 for reaction with the NO₃ radical; and (5.4 ± 1.4) × 10^?17 for reaction with O₃; trans-2-hexenal: (4.41 ± 0.94) × 10^?11 for reaction with the OH radical; (1.21 ± 0.44) × 10^?14 for reaction with the NO₃ radical; and (2.0 ± 1.0) × 10^?18 for reaction with O₃; and linalool: (1.59 ± 0.40) × 10^?10 for reaction with the OH radical; (1.12 ± 0.40) × 10^?11 for reaction with the NO₃ radical; and (4.3 ± 1.6) × 10^?16 for reaction with O₃. Combining these rate constants with estimated ambient tropospheric concentrations of OH radicals, NO₃ radicals, and O₃ results in calculated tropospheric lifetimes of these oxygenated organic compounds of a few hours. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics of the gas-phase reactions of β-phellandrene with OH and NO3 radicals and O3 at 297 ± 2 K

Rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of the biogenically emitted monoterpene β-phellandrene with OH and NO₃ radicals and O₃ have been measured at 297 ± 2 K and atmospheric pressure of air using relative rate methods. The rate constants obtained were (in cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 units): for reaction with the OH radical, (1.68 ± 0.41) × 10^?10; for reaction with the NO₃ radical, (7.96 ± 2.82) × 10^?12; and for reaction with O₃, (4.77 ± 1.23) × 10^?17, where the error limits include the estimated uncertainties in the reference reaction rate constants. Using these rate constants, the lifetime of β-phellandrene in the lower troposphere due to reaction with these species is calculated to be in the range of ca. 1–8 h, with the OH radical reaction being expected to dominate over the O₃ reaction as a loss process for β-phellandrene during daylight hours.     

Ionization gauge sensitivities of N2, O2, N2O,NO, NO2, NH3, CClF3 and CH3OH

A Bayard-Alpert (BA) gauge was used to determine apparent relative sensitivites S_rel,X for O₂, N₂O, NO, NO₂, NH₃, CClF₃ and CH₃OH from gauge calibration measurements in the range 1.3×10^?1 Pa≤p≤1.3·10^?3Pa. Nitrogen was used as a calibration standard.