Rate coefficients for the gas-phase reactions of hydroxyl radicals with furan, 2-methylfuran, 2-ethylfuran and 2,5-dimethylfuran at 300 ± 2 K

Abstract

Abstract Rate coefficients have been determined for the gas-phase reaction of hydroxyl (OH) radicals with the cyclic ethers furan, 2-methylfuran, 2-ethylfuran and 2,5-dimethylfuran at 300 ± 2 K in 760 Torr of synthetic air using a relative kinetic technique. The rate constants obtained using propene and trans-2-butene as reference compounds are (in units of 10−11 cm3 molecule−1 s−1): furan, 4.19 ± 0.21; 2-methylfuran, 6.19 ± 0.30; 2-ethylfuran, 10.77 ± 2.11; 2,5-dimethylfuran, 13.21 ± 0.92. With the exception of furan, this study represents the first determination of the rate coefficients for these cyclic ethers. The relevance of the rate coefficients for the atmospheric chemistry of furan and its derivatives is briefly discussed.