The flash photolysis of azomethane. Minor products from the photolysis of methyl radicals and a rate constant for CH3 + NO

The flash photolysis of azomethane in a quartz reaction vessel produces mainly ethane (>75%) plus smaller quantities of methane, ethylene, and acetylene. The minor products are interpreted quantitatively in terms of methyl radical photolysis at 216 nm to give CH₂ and H. This interpretation is substantiated by the dependence of the minor products on flash intensity. The reduction of the ethane yield on adding NO is employed to obtain a rate constant for CH₃ + NO as a function of total pressure, based on a value for methyl radical recombination of 4.2 × 10^?11 cm³/molec · sec. An RRKM analysis is used to extrapolate the data to give a limiting high-pressure rate constant for CH₃ + NO of (1.2 ± 0.1) × 10^?11 cm³/molec · sec at 298°K.