Reaction between CH3O2 and BrO radicals: a new source of upper troposphere lower stratosphere hydroxyl radicals.

Over the last two decades it has emerged that measured hydroxyl radical levels in the upper troposphere are often underestimated by models, leading to the assertion that there are missing sources. Here we report laboratory studies of the kinetics and products of the reaction between CH3O2 and BrO radicals that shows that this could be an important new source of hydroxyl radicals:BrO + CH3O2 → products (1). The temperature dependent value in Arrhenius form of k(T) is k1 = (2.42­0.72+1.02) × 10­14 exp[(1617 ± 94)/T] cm3 molecule­1 s­1. In addition, CH2OO and HOBr are believed to be the major products. Global model results suggest that the decomposition of H2COO to form OH could lead to an enhancement in OH of up to 20% in mid-latitudes in the upper troposphere and in the lower stratosphere enhancements in OH of 2­9% are inferred from model integrations. In addition, reaction 1 aids conversion of BrO to HOBr and slows polar ozone loss in the lower stratosphere.

Temperature and pressure dependence of the rate coefficient for the reaction between ClO and CH3O2 in the gas-phase.

A temperature and pressure kinetic study for the CH(3)O(2) + ClO reaction has been performed using the turbulent flow technique with a chemical ionisation mass spectrometry detection system. An Arrhenius expression was obtained for the overall rate coefficient of CH(3)O(2) + ClO reaction: k(10)(T) = (1.96(−0.24)(+0.28)) × 10(-11) exp[(-626 ± 35)/T] cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) where the uncertainty associated with the rate coefficient is given at the one standard deviation level. Over a range of pressure (100-200 Torr) and temperature (298-223 K) no pressure dependence is observed. The smaller rate coefficients measured at lower temperatures compared with both previous low temperature studies are believed to arise through the reduction of secondary chemistry and greater sensitivity in terms of reactant detection (hence much lower initial concentrations were employed). These new data reduce the effectiveness of ozone loss cycles involving reaction of CH(3)O(2) + ClO in the polar stratosphere by around a factor of 1.5 and restrict the importance of the reaction to the tropical and extra-tropical clean marine environments in the troposphere.

Structure-activity relationship (SAR) for the prediction of gas-phase ozonolysis rate coefficients: an extension towards heteroatomic unsaturated species.

Heteroatomic unsaturated volatile organic compounds (HUVOCs) are common trace components of the atmosphere, yet their diverse chemical behaviour presents difficulties for predicting their oxidation kinetics using structure-activity relationships (SARs). An existing SAR is adapted to help meet this challenge, enabling the prediction of ozonolysis rates with unprecedented accuracy. The new SAR index, x(H), correlates strongly with available literature measurements of ozonolysis rate coefficients (R(2) = 0.87), a database representing 110 species. It was found that capturing the inductive effect rather than the steric effect is of primary importance in predicting the reactivity of these species, which is to be anticipated since HUVOCs can possess a variety of functional groups with a range of electron-withdrawing and donating tendencies. New experimental measurements of ozonolysis rate coefficients were conducted for 1-penten-3-ol, 3-methyl; ethene, 1,1-dimethoxy; E-2-pentenoic acid; E-1,2-dichloroethene; Z-1,2-dichloroethene; trichloroethene; tetrachloroethene; 1-butene, 3-chloro and 2-chloropropene, and were determined to be 5.15 × 10(-18), 4.82 × 10(-16), 3.07 × 10(-18), 8.05 × 10(-20), 4.88 × 10(-21), 6.04 × 10(-22), 1.56 × 10(-24), 2.26 × 10(-18) and 1.13 × 10(-19) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively. The index of the inductive effect, i(H), is compared with other indices of the electron-withdrawing capacity of a substitution, notably the Taft σ* constants and the rate of reaction of a given species with the hydroxyl radical, both of which are expected to be unaffected by steric factors. i(H) correlates strongly in both cases and suggests a universal response by olefinic species towards electrophilic addition.

Temperature-dependent ozonolysis kinetics of selected alkenes in the gas phase: an experimental and structure-activity relationship (SAR) study.

The kinetics of the reactions of ozone with several alkenes have been measured at atmospheric pressure between 217 and 301 K using EXTRA (EXTreme RAnge chamber). This work represents the first kinetic determinations of the system and focuses on the temperature-dependence of alkene ozonolysis, which is an important tropospheric process impacting upon climate and human health, yet few studies have investigated these reactions as a function of temperature. Temperature-dependent rate coefficients have been established for 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene, 2,4,4-trimethyl-1-pentene and 4-methyl-1-pentene at 217-301 K and atmospheric pressure. The derived Arrhenius expressions are as follows: k = (2.68+2.23-1.23) x 10-15 exp[-(16.29 +/- 1.20/RT)], k = (7.31+9.39-4.05) x 10-15 exp[-(15.33 +/- 1.84/RT)] and k = (5.21+2.85-1.85) x 10-15 exp[-(15.66 +/- 0.87/RT)] cm3 molecule-1 s-1 for 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene, 2,4,4-trimethyl-1-pentene and 4-methyl-1-pentene, respectively.A strong linear correlation has been observed between a simple structure-activity relationship (SAR) and the activation energy, Ea, possessing an R2 value of 0.90. However, no significant correlation was observed for the A-factor. Notwithstanding, with accurate predictions of the SAR for Ea and log k298, values for the A-factor can be retrieved, and hence the prediction of k at any temperature. The newly acquired data agree well with the original SAR and suggest that the factors controlling the rate of ozonolysis reaction are captured accurately by the SAR index.