Gas‐phase decomposition mechanisms of C‐NO2, N‐NO2 energetic materials: Reevaluations

The thermal decomposition mechanisms of gaseous nitromethane, methyl nitrite, dimethylnitramine and 1,3,3,‐trinitroazetidine (TNAZ) have been reanalyzed using sensitivity and principal component analyses. For each system an adequate, much simplified mechanism was developed, and the fragmentation/reaction sequence leading to the final products was made transparent. The critical roles of free radicals (CH₃, H, OH, HCO, HNO, CH₃O, etc.) at different stages of these pyrolyses were then identified. The predicted product distributions for these compounds were calculated to facilitate the assessment of their explosive performance parameters. Comparison of the products generated by nitromethane with those produced by methyl nitrite showed that the contribution of a nitro‐nitrite isomerization reaction is negligible in the nitromethane pyrolysis. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 31: 655–673, 1999     

Photodissociation Dynamics of Nitromethane and Nitroethane at 266 nm

Measurements of the nascent OH product from photodissociation of gaseous nitromethane and nitroethane at 266 nm were performed using the single-photon laser induced °uorescence technique. The OH fragment is found to be vibrationally cold for both systems. The rotational state distribution of nitromethane are Boltzmann, with rotational temperature of Trot=2045§150 and 1923§150 K for both 2|3=2 and 2|1=2 states, respectively. For nitroethane, the rotational state distribution shows none Boltzmann and cannot be well characterized by a rotational temperature, which indicates the di?erent mechanisms in producing OH radicals from photodissociation of nitromethane and nitroethane. The rotational energy is calculated as 14.36§0.8 and 4.98§0.8 kJ/mol for nitromethane and nitroethane, respectively. A preferential population of the low spin-orbit component (2|3=2) is observed for both nitromethane and nitroethane. The dominant population of |+ state in two ¤-doublet states is also observed for both nitromethane and nitroethane,which indicates that the unpaired ? lobe of the OH fragment is parallel to the plane of rotation.     

Rate constants for reactions of hydroxyl radicals with nitromethane and methyl nitrite vapours at 292 K

The variations of yields of CO₂ from the gas phase H₂O₂ + NO₂ + CO chain reaction system with added nitromethane or methyl nitrite have given rate constants for reactions of OH radicals with these substrates. At 292 K these are (5.5 ± 0.6) × 10⁸ and (8.0 ± 1.1) × 10⁸ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1 respectively.     

High-resolution slice imaging of quantum state-to-state photodissociation of methyl bromide

The photodissociation of rotationally state-selected methyl bromide is studied in the wavelength region between 213 and 235 nm using slice imaging. A hexapole state selector is used to focus a single (JK=11) rotational quantum state of the parent molecule, and a high speed slice imaging detector measures directly the three-dimensional recoil distribution of the methyl fragment. Experiments were performed on both normal (CH(3)Br) and deuterated (CD(3)Br) parent molecules. The velocity distribution of the methyl fragment shows a rich structure, especially for the CD(3) photofragment, assigned to the formation of vibrationally excited methyl fragments in the nu(1) and nu(4) vibrational modes. The CH(3) fragment formed with ground state Br((2)P(3/2)) is observed to be rotationally more excited, by some 230-340 cm(-1), compared to the methyl fragment formed with spin-orbit excited Br((2)P(1/2)). Branching ratios and angular distributions are obtained for various methyl product states and they are observed to vary with photodissociation energy. The nonadiabatic transition probability for the (3)Q(0+)-->(1)Q(1) transition is calculated from the images and differences between the isotopes are observed. Comparison with previous non-state-selected experiments indicates an enhanced nonadiabatic transition probability for state-selected K=1 methyl bromide parent molecules. From the state-to-state photodissociation experiments the dissociationenergy for both isotopes was determined, D(0)(CH(3)Br)=23 400+/-133 cm(-1) and D(0)(CD(3)Br)=23 827+/-94 cm(-1).     

Kinetics and mechanism of the atmospheric oxidation of tertiary amyl methyl ether

Tertiary-amyl methyl ether (TAME) is proposed for use as an additive to increase the oxygen content of gasoline as stipulated in the 1990 Clean Air Amendments. The present experiments have been performed to examine the kinetics and mechanisms of the atmospheric removal of TAME. The kinetics of the reaction of OH with TAME was examined by using a relative rate technique in which photolysis of methyl nitrite or nitrous acid was used as the source of OH. The OH rate constant for TAME and two major products (t-amyl formate and methyl acetate) were measured and yields for ten products were determined as primary products from the reaction. Values determined for the rate constants for the reaction with OH were 5.48 × 10^?12 (TAME), 1.75 × 10^?12 (t-amyl formate), and 3.85 × 10^?13 cm³ molec^?1 s^?1 (methyl acetate) at 298 ± 2 K. The primary products (with corrected yields where required) from the OH + TAME that have been observed include (1) t-amyl formate (0.366), methyl acetate (0.349), acetaldehyde (0.43, corrected), acetone (0.036), formaldehyde (0.549), t-amyl alcohol (0.026), 3-methyoxy-3-methyl-butanal (0.044, corrected), t-amyloxy methyl nitrate (0.029), 3-methyoxy-3-methyl-2-butyl nitrate (0.010), and 2-methoxy-2-methyl butyl nitrate (0.004). Mechanisms leading to these products involve OH abstraction from each of the four different hydrogen atoms of TAME. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Thermochemistry of methyl and ethyl nitro, RNO2, and nitrite, RONO, organic compounds

Computational quantum theory is employed to determine the thermochemical properties of n-alkyl nitro and nitrite compounds: methyl and ethyl nitrites, CH3ONO and C2H5ONO, plus nitromethane and nitroethane, CH3NO2 and C2H5NO2, at 298.15 K using multilevel G3, CBS-QB3, and CBS-APNO composite methods employing both atomization and isodesmic reaction analysis. Structures and enthalpies of the corresponding aci-tautomers are also determined. The enthalpies of formation for the most stable conformers of methyl and ethyl nitrites at 298 K are determined to be -15.64 +/- 0.10 kcal mol-1 (-65.44 +/- 0.42 kJ mol-1) and -23.58 +/- 0.12 kcal mol-1 (-98.32 +/- 0.58 kJ mol-1), respectively. DeltafHo(298 K) of nitroalkanes are correspondingly evaluated at -17.67 +/- 0.27 kcal mol-1 (-74.1 +/- 1.12 kJ mol-1) and -25.06 +/- 0.07 kcal mol-1 (-121.2 +/- 0.29 kJ mol-1) for CH3NO2 and C2H5NO2. Enthalpies of formation for the aci-tautomers are calculated as -3.45 +/- 0.44 kcal mol-1 (-14.43 +/- 0.11 kJ mol-1) for aci-nitromethane and -14.25 +/- 0.44 kcal mol-1 (-59.95 +/- 1.84 kJ mol-1) for the aci-nitroethane isomers, respectively. Data are evaluated against experimental and computational values in the literature with recommendations. A set of thermal correction parameters to atomic (H, C, N, O) enthalpies at 0 K is developed, to enable a direct calculation of species enthalpy of formation at 298.15 K, using atomization reaction and computation outputs.     

Photodissociation dynamics of the methyl radical at 212.5 nm: effect of parent internal excitation

Photodissociation dynamics of the CH3 radical at 212.5 nm has been investigated using the H atom Rydberg tagging time-of-flight method with a pure CH3 radical source generated by the photolysis of CH3I at 266 nm. Time-of-flight spectra of the H atom products from the photolysis of both cold and hot methyl radicals have been measured at different photolysis polarizations. Experimental results indicate that the photodissociation of the methyl radical in its ground vibrational state at 212.5 nm excitation occurs on a very fast time scale in comparison with its rotational period, indicating the CH3 dissociation at 212.5 nm occurs on the excited 3s Rydberg state surface. Experimental evidence also shows that the photodissociation of the methyl radical in the nu2 = 1 state of the umbrella mode at 212.5 nm excitation is characteristically different from that in the ground vibrational state.     

Time-dependent infrared emission following photodissociation of nitromethane and chloropicrin

Nitromethane (CH(3)NO(2)) and its chlorinated analogue, chloropicrin (CCl(3)NO(2)), were photolyzed at 193, 248, and 266 nm, and the products were observed by time-dependent Fourier transform infrared emission spectroscopy. At 193 and 248 nm, the primary photodissociation pathway for nitromethane was cleavage of the C-N bond to produce CH(3) + NO(2)(A (2)B(2)). At 266 nm, weak emission was observed following photodissociation of nitromethane, but an infrared spectrum could not be obtained. The photodissociation of chloropicrin at 193 nm produced the analogous product channel CCl(3) + NO(2)(A (2)B(2)) in addition to several other product channels. At 248 and 266 nm, only CCl(3) + NO(2)(A (2)B(2)) was observed. The production of phosgene (CCl(2)O) from chloropicrin photodissociation was not observed in this study.     

The role of nitric oxide in cancer improved methods for measurement of nitrite and nitrate by high-performance ion chromatography

The short lifetime of nitric oxide (NO) in vivo impedes its quantitation directly; however, the determination of nitrite and nitrate ions as the end-products of NO oxidation has proven a more practical approach. High-performance ion chromatographic analysis of nitrite in biological fluids is hampered by the large amount of chloride ion (up to 100mmol/l) which results in insufficient peak resolution when utilizing conductimetric detection. Analysis of both anions in small sample volumes is also constrained by the need to minimise sample handling to avoid contamination by environmental nitrate. We report a means to remove Cl⁻ ions from small sample volumes using Ag⁺ resin which facilitates quantitation of either nitrite and nitrate anions in biological samples, using silica or polymer based ion-exchange resins with conductimetric or electrochemical and spectrophotometric detection. Including a reversed-phase guard column before the anion-exchange guard and analytical column also greatly extends column lifetime.     

Proton affinity of methyl nitrite and methyl peroxynitrite: implications for measuring branching ratios of alkyl nitrates and nitrites

Geometry optimizations for methyl nitrite and methyl peroxynitrite, along with various protonated isomers for each, have been investigated using ab initio and density functional methods. The lowest energy structure for protonated methyl nitrite is a complex between CH3OH and NO(+). For methyl peroxynitrite, the lowest energy protonated structure is a complex between CH3OOH and NO(+). Their respective proton affinities are estimated to be 195.2 and 195.8 kcal/mol at the QCISD(T)/6-311++G(3df,3pd) level of theory. The results, compared with past studies, suggest an alternative method for directly measuring branching ratios for production of alkyl nitrates and nitrites.     

Limitations on mndo and mndo/ci computations of activation barriers

The ability of MNDO and MNDO/CI for predicting activation barriers of unimolecular reactions is tested for decompositions of methane, ethane, nitromethane, and methyl nitrite. MNDO is not useful for this purpose; MNDO/CI gives energy barriers in agreement with experiment to about ±10 $\text{kcal}\text{mole}$ for the types of reactions considered.     

Competition between photochemistry and energy transfer in UV-excited diazabenzenes. 4. UV photodissociation of 2,3-, 2,5-, and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine

The quantum yield for HCN formation via 248 nm photodissociation of 2,3-, 2,5-, and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine (DMP, C6N2H8) was measured using diode laser probing of the HCN photoproduct. The total quantum yield is phi = 0.039 +/- 0.07, 0.14 +/- 0.02, and 0.30 +/- 0.06 for 248 nm excitation of 2,3-, 2,5- and 2,6-DMP, respectively. Analysis of the quenching data within the context of a gas kinetic, strong collision model allows an estimate of the rate constant for HCN production via DMP photodissociation, ks = 4.1 x 10(3), 1.0 x 10(3), and 1.3 x 10(4) s(-1) for 2,3-, 2,5- and 2,6-DMP, respectively. Unlike HCN produced from the photodissociation of pyrazine and methylpyrazine, the amount of HCN produced via a prompt, unquenched dissociation channel was essentially zero, suggesting little multiphoton UV absorption. The rate constants for HCN formation together with previously measured rate constants for HCN production from photodissociation of pyrazine and methylpyrazine have been used to investigate possible reaction mechanisms. The position of the methyl group affects the HCN rate constant, suggesting that the mechanism for pyrazine dissociation involves an initial step that is hindered by the addition of the methyl groups. The proposed initial molecular motion of the mechanism, an out-of-plane H atom migration across a N atom, is consistent with (1) the position of the methyl groups, (2) the dissociation lifetime of the various pyrazine molecules studied, and (3) the observed large energy transfer magnitudes from pyrazine near dissociation. These so-called "supercollisions" have been linked to low-frequency, out-of-plane motion, suggesting that the molecular motions leading to efficient energy transfer are the same motions involved in dissociation. In addition, the pyrazine (C4N2H4) 248 nm photoproduct (C3H3N) was identified as acrylonitrile using IR spectroscopy, an observation that aids in understanding the dissociation mechanism.     

光化学动力学法测定硝酸盐和亚硝酸盐

本文研究了甲基橙动力学法测定水、食品及蔬菜中硝酸盐和亚硝酸盐。在紫外光照射下甲基橙退色程度与硝酸盐和亚硝酸盐含量成正比。文中提出首先测定二者的总量,然后在氨基磺酸存在下测定硝酸盐的量,再差减求得亚硝酸盐的量。     

Mass resolved MPI spectra of methyl iodide in the 430-490 nm region

The mass resolved multiphoton ionization (MPI) spectra of methyl iodide were obtained in the 430-490 nm region using a time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. They have the same vibrational structure, which testifies that the fragment species, in the wavelength region under study, are from the photodissociation of multiphoton ionized molecular parent ions. Some features in the spectra are identified as three-photon excitations to 6p and 7s Rydberg states of methyl iodide. Two new vibrational structures of some Rydberg states are observed. The mechanism of ionization and dissociation is also discussed.     

Measurement of the reactivity of OH with methyl nitrate: Implications for prediction of alkyl nitrate-OH reaction rates

The rate of the gas phase reaction of hydroxyl radical with methyl nitrate has been measured to be (3.4 ± 0.4) × 10^?14 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 at 298 K using flow discharge/ resonance fluorescence techniques. By means of correlation methods, this rate determination is used to predict a vertical ionization potential of 12.6 eV, a bond dissociation energy for H? CH₂ONO₂ of 101 kcal mol^?1, and a rate for O(³P) reaction with methyl nitrate of ca. 9 × 10^?17 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1. In conjunction with previously derived relative data for reaction of alkyl nitrates with OH radical in the gas phase, a priori estimated reactivities for 1-, 2-, and 3-positionally substituted straight chain alkyl nitrates have been reexamined. Revised reactivities for OH abstraction of specific hydrogens substituted on straight chain alkyl nitrates are presented and discussed, and an atmospheric lifetime of ca. 2 yrs is estimated for methyl nitrate removal due to OH.     

光化学反应在流动注射分析中的应用研究 Ⅲ.甲基橙光化学反应体系测定亚硝酸根、硝酸根和铁(Ⅲ)

基于NO_2~-、NO_3~-和Fe(Ⅲ)对甲基橙光化学褪色反应的催化作用,利用自制流通式光化学反应器,建立了流动注射光化学反应同时测定NO_2~-和NO_3~-以及测定Fe(Ⅲ)的新方法。测定NO_2~-和NO_3~-的线性范围都是0.1～3.2mg/L,每小时可测30～40个样品,测定Fe(Ⅲ)的线性范围为0.06～1.2mg/L,进样频率为60～80次/h。应用于蔬菜中NO_2~-、NO_3~-的测定和茶叶中铁的测定,结果满意。     

Electrochemical characterization of biosensor based on nitrite reductase and methyl viologen co-immobilized glassy carbon electrode

Nitrite reductase (NiR, nitric-oxide: ferricytochrome c oxidoreductase, EC 1.7.2.1) and methyl viologen (MV) were co-immobilized on glassy carbon electrode (GCE, d=3 mm) by polymer entrapment, and the electrode was tested as an electrochemical biosensor for amperometric determination of nitrite. The immobilization was performed by sequential loading and drying of a homogeneous mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), NiR and MV, followed by poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) solution, and finally hydrophilic polyurethane (HPU) dissolved in chloroform. The positively charged PAH layer could effectively keep immobilized cationic MV from diffusing through the membrane, holding mediator tightly near or on the electrode surface. The working principle of the biosensor was based on MV mediated electron transfer between electrode and immobilized NiR. The response time (t(90%)) of the biosensor was about 20 s and sensitivity was 11.8 nA/ microM (2.5 mU NiR) with linear response range of 1.5-260 microM (r(2)=0.996) and detection limit of 1.5 microM (S/N=3). Lineweaver-Burk plot showed that Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m,app)) was about 770 microM. The biosensor showed durable storage stability for 24 days (stored in ambient air at room temperature) retaining 80% of its initial activity, and showed satisfactory reproducibility (relative standard deviation (R.S.D.)=3.8%, n=9). Interference study showed that chlorate, chloride, sulfite, sulfate did not interfere with the nitrite determination, however, nitrate interfered with the determination with relative sensitivity of 38% (ratio of sensitivity for nitrate to that for nitrite). In addition to the full characterization of the biosensor, kinetic study was also conducted in solution and the homogeneous rate constant (k(2)) between NiR and MV were determined by chronoamperometry to be 5.8 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1).     

Chemometric approach to the optimisation of LC-FL and GC-MS methods for the determination of nitrite and nitrate in some biological,food and environmental samples

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method and a liquid chromatography–fluorescence (LC-FL) detection method using experimental design and optimisation approach were improved for the quantitative determination of nitrite and nitrate in biological, food and environmental samples. The obtained recoveries of nitrite and nitrate ions from samples based on both GC-MS and LC-FL results ranged from 98.5% to 98.9% for nitrite and 97.9% to 98.4% for nitrate. The precision of these methods, as indicated by the relative standard deviations (RSDs), was within the range from 2.4% to 3.6% for nitrite and 2.5% to 3.8% for nitrate, respectively. The limits of detection of nitrite and nitrate ions from samples based on GC-MS and LC-FL results ranged from 0.01 to 0.14 ng L^?1 for nitrite and 0.02 to 0.71 ng L^?1 for nitrate, respectively. The optimised isolation procedure by central composite design was successfully applied to real samples. The results revealed that the proposed procedure combined with GC-MS and LC-FL techniques is more sensitive, reliable and selective compared to the other methods available for the precise determination of trace levels of nitrite and nitrate in biological, food and environmental samples.     

Mass spectrum of nitromethane

The mass spectrum of nitromethane points to rupture of the CH₃? NO₂ bond as the dominant primary reaction, as also observed in pyrolysis, photolysis and radiolysis. Isomerization of the molecular ion to the nitrite configuration seems to contribute little in the mass spectrum of nitromethane, in contrast to those of nitrobenzene and other nitroarenes. The nitrite ion is probably the immediate precursor of [NO]⁺ at its appearance potential, but most of the [NO]+ yield seems to stem from secondary decomposition of excited [NO₂]⁺.     

On the photolysis of simple anions and neutral molecules as sources of O-/OH, SO(x)- and Cl in aqueous solution

This contribution examines the aqueous phase photolysis processes of simple anions such as nitrate, nitrite, peroxodisulfate and neutral molecules such as H2O2. The review includes new results on absolute effective quantum yields for the photodissociation processes of NO3(-), NO2(-), S2O8(2-), HSO5(-), S2O6(2-), HOCl, and chloroacetone in an aqueous solution. The quantum yields for the photolysis of nitrate and nitrite have also been determined as a function of temperature. Models to interpret the wavelength and the temperature dependencies of the quantum yields for the different systems are discussed and a simple model treatment is developed to quantify the effects of (i) impulse conservation, (ii) electrostatic interaction (e.g., ion-dipole, dipole-dipole and coulomb interaction between the photofragments directly after photolytic fragmentation), and (iii) diffusion and recombination. The combined impulse-interaction-diffusion (IID) model is compared to the experimentally observed effective radical formation quantum yields and reasonable agreement is found for a number of systems. It is shown that the temperature dependencies for effective quantum yields of photolysis processes in aqueous solution are not only governed by the temperature dependence of the viscosity of water but also determined by the temperature dependence of the rate constants of the photofragment recombination reactions.