No abstract

The reaction between HO2 and CH3C(O)O2 has three exothermic product channels, forming OH (R3a), peracetic acid (R3b), and acetic acid plus O3 (R3c). The branching ratios of the OH- and ozone-forming reaction channels were determined using a combination of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF, for time-resolved OH concentration measurement) and transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS, for time-resolved O3 concentration measurement) following pulsed laser generation of HO2 and CH3C(O)O2 from suitable precursors. TAS was also used to determine the initial concentration of the reactant peroxy radicals. The data were evaluated by numerical simulation using kinetic models of the measured concentration profiles; a Monte Carlo approach was used to estimate the uncertainties of the rate constants (k3) and branching ratios (α) thus obtained. The reaction channel forming OH (R3a) was found to be the most important with α3a = 0.61 ± 0.09 and α3c = 0.16 ± 0.08. The overall rate coefficient of the title reaction was found to be k3 = (2.1 ± 0.4) × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for both HO2 and DO2. Use of DO2 resulted in an increase in α3a to 0.80 ± 0.14. Comparison with former studies shows that OH formation via (R3) has been underestimated significantly to date. Possible reasons for these discrepancies and atmospheric implications are discussed.

OH-formation in the reactions of CH3CO (R1) and HOCH2CO (R4) with O2 was studied in He, N2 and air (27 to 400 mbar) using OH-detection by laser induced fluorescence (LIF). 248 nm laser photolysis of COCl2 in the presence of CH3CHO or HOCH2CHO was used as source of the acyl radicals CH3CO and HOCH2CO. The LIF-system was calibrated in back-to-back experiments by the 248 nm laser photolysis of H2O2 as OH radical precursor. A straight-forward analytical expression was used to derive OH yields (α) for both reactions. A Stern-Volmer-analysis results in α1b(-1)(N2) = 1 + (9.4 ± 1.7) × 10(-18) cm(3) molecule(-1) × [M], α1b(-1)(He) = 1 + (3.6 ± 0.6) × 10(-18) cm(3) molecule(-1) × [M] and α4b(-1)(N2) = 1 + (1.85 ± 0.38) × 10(-18) cm(3) molecule(-1) × [M]. Our results for CH3CO are compared to the previous (divergent) literature values whilst that for HOCH2CO, for which no previous data were available, provide some insight into the factors controlling the yield of OH in these reactions.

Abstract.The reaction CH 3 C(O)O 2 + HO 2 → CH 3 C(O)OOH + O 2 (Reaction R5a), CH 3 C(O)OH + O 3 (Reaction R5b), CH 3 + CO 2 + OH + O 2 (Reaction R5c) was studied in a series of experiments conducted at 1000 mbar and (293 ± 2) K in the HIRAC simulation chamber. For the first time, products, (CH 3 C(O)OOH, CH 3 C(O)OH, O 3 and OH) from all three branching pathways of the reaction have been detected directly and simultaneously. Measurements of radical precursors (CH 3 OH, CH 3 CHO), HO 2 and some secondary products HCHO and HCOOH further constrained the system. Fitting a comprehensive model to the experimental data, obtained over a range of conditions, determined the branching ratios α (R5a) = 0.37 ± 0.10, α (R5b) = 0.12 ± 0.04 and α (R5c) = 0.51 ± 0.12 (errors at 2σ level). Improved measurement/model agreement was achieved using k (R5) = (2.4 ± 0.4) × 10 −11 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 , which is within the large uncertainty of the current IUPAC and JPL recommended rate coefficients for the title reaction. The rate coefficient and branching ratios are in good agreement with a recent study performed by Groß et al. (2014b); taken together, these two studies show that the rate of OH regeneration through Reaction (R5) is more rapid than previously thought. GEOS-Chem has been used to assess the implications of the revised rate coefficients and branching ratios; the modelling shows an enhancement of up to 5 % in OH concentrations in tropical rainforest areas and increases of up to 10 % at altitudes of 6-8 km above the equator, compared to calculations based on the IUPAC recommended rate coefficient and yield. The enhanced rate of acetylperoxy consumption significantly reduces PAN in remote regions (up to 30 %) with commensurate reductions in background NO x .