Kinetics of electron attachment to OH and HNO3 and mutual neutralization of Ar+ with NO2− and NO3− at 300 and 500 K

Abstract

The electron attachment rate constant to nitric acid (HNO(3)) has been measured in a flowing afterglow-Langmuir probe (FALP) apparatus at 300 and 500 K using three independent methods: the traditional FALP technique of monitoring electron depletion, "one-gas" VENDAMS (variable electron and neutral density attachment mass spectrometry), and "two-gas" VENDAMS. The three measurements are in agreement with a 300 K weighted average of 1.4 ± 0.3 × 10(-7) cm(3) s(-1), 2 to 10 times higher than previously reported values. Attachment is primarily dissociative yielding NO(2)(-) as previously reported, but for the first time a small endothermic channel to produce OH(-) was also observed at 500 K. From the one-gas VENDAMS data, associative attachment to the OH produced in the primary attachment was found to occur with an effective two body rate constant of 1.2±(0.7) (3)×10(-11) cm(3) s(-1) at 300 K, the first reported rate constant for this radical species. Finally, ion-ion neutralization rate constants of NO(2)(-) and NO(3)(-) with Ar(+) were determined to be 5.2±(2.5) (1.5) × 10(-8) and 4.5 ± 2.5 × 10(-8) cm(3) s(-1) at 300 K, respectively.