Effects of nitric oxide on the thermal decomposition of methyl nitrite: Overall kinetics and rate constants for the HNO + HNO and HNO + 2NO reactions

Abstract

AbstractThe effects of NO on the decomposition of CH3ONO have been investigated in the temperature range 450–520 K at a constant pressure of 710 torr using He as buffer gas. The measured time‐dependent concentration profiles of CH3ONO, NO, N2O, and CH2O can be quantitatively accounted for with a general mechanism consisting of various reactions of CH3O, HNO, and (HNO)2. The results of kinetic modeling with sensitivity analyses indicate that the disappearance rate of CH3ONO is weakly affected by NO addition, whereas that of the HNO intermediate strongly altered by the added NO. In the presence of low NO concentrations, the modeling of N2O yields leads to the rate constant for the bimolecular reaction, HNO + HNO → N2O + H2O (25): In the presence of high NO concentrations (PNO > 50 torr), the modeling of CH2O yields gives the rate constant for the termolecular radical formation channel, HNO + 2NO → HN2O + NO2 (35): Discussion on the mechanisms for reactions (25) and (35), and the alkyl homolog of (35), RNO + 2NO, is presented herein. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.