The rate coefficient for the reaction of O(3P) with CH3OOH at 297 K

The absolute second-order rate coefficient for the reaction, O(³P) + CH₃OOH → products, was measured to be ??₁ = (1.06 ± 0.26) × 10^?14 cm³ molec^?1 s^?1 at 297 K, where the quoted error is 2σ including precision and estimated systematic errors. The possible presence of (CH₃CH₂)₂O in our sample of CH₃OOH leads to a large error in ??₁ which reflects the relatively large uncertainty indicated. O(³P) was generated in excess CH₃OOH by photolyzing a small amount of O₃ at 532 nm, where CH₃OOH does not photolyze. The rate of removal of O(³P) in the experiments was monitored by resonance fluorescence detection. The increased reactivity of O(³P) with CH₃OOH relative to H₂O₂ is interpreted as due to H abstraction from the CH₃ group.