Oxidation of Alkyl Ions, CnH2n+1+ (n = 1−5), in Reactions with O2 and O3 in the Gas Phase

Abstract

Rate constants and product ion branching fractions are reported for the reactions of CH3+, C2H5+, s-C3H7+, s-C4H9+, t-C4H9+, and t-C5H11+ with O2 and O3 at 300 K in a variable-temperature selected-ion flow tube (VT-SIFT). The reaction rate constant for CH3+ with O3 is large and approximately equal to the thermal energy capture rate constant given by the Su−Chesnavich equation. The C2H5+, s-C3H7+, and s-C4H9+ ions are somewhat less reactive, reacting at approximately 7−46% of the thermal capture rate. The HCO+ and C2H3O+ ions are the major products in these reactions. The t-C4H9+ and t-C5H11+ ions are found to be unreactive, with rate constants <5 × 10-12 cm3 s-1, which is the present detection limit of our apparatus using this ozone source. Ozone is a singlet in its ground state, and ab initio calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory indicate that reactant complexes can be formed, decreasing in stability with the size of alkyl chains attached to the cationic carbon atom. The decreasing reactivit...