Kinetics of gas‐phase reactions of CH3OCH2CF3, CH3OCH3, CH3OCH2CH3, CH3CH2OCH2CH3, and CHF2CF2OCH2CF3 with NO3 radicals at 298 K

Abstract

AbstractRate constants for the gas‐phase reactions of CH3OCH2CF3 (k1), CH3OCH3 (k2), CH3OCH2CH3 (k3), and CH3CH2OCH2CH3 (k4) with NO3 radicals were determined by means of a relative rate method at 298 K. NO3 radicals were prepared by thermal decomposition of N2O5 in a 700–750 Torr N2O5/NO2/NO3/air gas mixture in a 1‐m3 temperature‐controlled chamber. The measured rate constants at 298 K were k1 = (5.3 ± 0.9) × 10−18, k2 = (1.07 ± 0.10) × 10−16, k3 = (7.81 ± 0.36) × 10−16, and k4 = (2.80 ± 0.10) × 10−15 cm3 molecule−1 s−1. Potential energy surfaces for the NO3 radical reactions were computationally explored, and the rate constants of k1–k5 were calculated according to the transition state theory. The calculated values of rate constants k1–k4 were in reasonable agreement with the experimentally determined values. The calculated value of k5 was compared with the estimate (k5 < 5.3 × 10−21 cm3 molecule−1 s−1) derived from the correlation between the rate constants for reactions with NO3 radicals (k1–k4) and the corresponding rate constants for reactions with OH radicals. We estimated the tropospheric lifetimes of CH3OCH2CF3 and CHF2CF2OCH2CF3 to be 240 and >2.4 × 105 years, respectively, with respect to reaction with NO3 radicals. The tropospheric lifetimes of these compounds are much shorter with respect to the OH reaction. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 41: 490–497, 2009