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More than 100 reactions between stable molecules and free radicals have been shown to remain rapid at low temperatures. In contrast, reactions between two unstable radicals have received much less attention due to the added complexity of producing and measuring excess radical concentrations. We performed kinetic experiments on the barrierless N + OH and N + CN reactions in a supersonic flow (Laval nozzle) reactor. The results provide insight into the gas-phase formation mechanisms of molecular nitrogen in interstellar clouds (ISCs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rate constants for the potentially important interstellar N((4)S) + CH(X(2)Πr) reaction have been measured in a continuous supersonic flow reactor over the range 56 K ≤T≤ 296 K using the relative rate technique employing both the N((4)S) + OH(X(2)Πi) and N((4)S) + CN(X(2)Σ(+)) reactions as references. Excess concentrations of atomic nitrogen were produced by the microwave discharge method upstream of the Laval nozzle and CH and OH radicals were created by the in situ pulsed laser photolysis of suitable precursor molecules. In parallel, quantum dynamics calculations of the title reaction have been performed based on accurate global potential energy surfaces for the 1(3)A' and 1(3)A'' states of HCN and HNC, brought about through a hierarchical construction scheme. Both adiabatic potential energy surfaces are barrierless, each one having two deep potential wells suggesting that this reaction is dominated by a complex-forming mechanism. The experimental and theoretical work are in excellent agreement, predicting a positive temperature dependence of the rate constant, in contrast to earlier experimental work at low temperature. The effects of the new low temperature rate constants on interstellar N2 formation are tested using a dense cloud model, yielding N2 abundances 10-20% lower than previously predicted.

The gas phase reaction of the hydroxyl radical with allene has been studied theoretically and experimentally in a continuous supersonic flow reactor over the range 50 ≤ T/K ≤ 224. This reaction has been found to exhibit a negative temperature dependence over the entire temperature range investigated, varying between (0.75 and 5.0) × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). Product formation from the reaction of OH and OD radicals with allene (C(3)H(4)) has been investigated in a fast flow reactor through time-of-flight mass spectrometry, at pressures between 0.8 and 2.4 Torr. The branching ratios for adduct formation (C(3)H(4)OH) in this pressure range are found to be equal to 34 ± 16% and 48 ± 16% for the OH and OD + allene reactions, respectively, the only other channel being the formation of CH(3) or CH(2)D + H(2)CCO (ketene). Moreover, the rate constant for the OD + C(3)H(4) reaction is also found to be 1.4 times faster than the rate constant for the OH + C(3)H(4) reaction at 1.5 Torr and at 298 K. The experimental results and implications for atmospheric chemistry have been rationalized by quantum chemical and RRKM calculations.

Many chemical models of dense interstellar clouds predict that the majority of gas-phase elemental nitrogen should be present as N(2), with an abundance approximately five orders of magnitude less than that of hydrogen. As a homonuclear diatomic molecule, N(2) is difficult to detect spectroscopically through infrared or millimeter-wavelength transitions. Therefore, its abundance is often inferred indirectly through its reaction product N(2)H(+). Two main formation mechanisms, each involving two radical-radical reactions, are the source of N(2) in such environments. Here we report measurements of the low temperature rate constants for one of these processes, the N + CN reaction, down to 56 K. The measured rate constants for this reaction, and those recently determined for two other reactions implicated in N(2) formation, are tested using a gas-grain model employing a critically evaluated chemical network. We show that the amount of interstellar nitrogen present as N(2) depends on the competition between its gas-phase formation and the depletion of atomic nitrogen onto grains. As the reactions controlling N(2) formation are inefficient, we argue that N(2) does not represent the main reservoir species for interstellar nitrogen. Instead, elevated abundances of more labile forms of nitrogen such as NH(3) should be present on interstellar ices, promoting the eventual formation of nitrogen-bearing organic molecules.

More than 100 reactions between stable molecules and free radicals have been shown to remain rapid at low temperatures. In contrast, reactions between two unstable radicals have received much less attention due to the added complexity of producing and measuring excess radical concentrations. We performed kinetic experiments on the barrierless N((4)S) + OH((2)Π) → H((2)S) + NO((2)Π) reaction in a supersonic flow (Laval nozzle) reactor. We used a microwave-discharge method to generate atomic nitrogen and a relative-rate method to follow the reaction kinetics. The measured rates agreed well with the results of exact and approximate quantum mechanical calculations. These results also provide insight into the gas-phase formation mechanisms of molecular nitrogen in interstellar clouds.

Products of the reaction of OH radicals with propene, trans-2-butene, and 1-butene have been investigated in a fast flow reactor, coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry, at pressures between 0.8 and 3.0 Torr. The product determination includes H atom abstraction channels as well as site-specific OH addition. The OH radicals are produced by the H + NO(2) → OH + NO reaction or by the F + H(2)O → OH + HF reaction, the H or F atoms being produced in a microwave discharge. The gas mixture is ionized using single photon ionization (SPI at 10.54 eV), and products are detected using time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). The H atom abstraction channels are measured to be <2% for OH + propene, 8 ± 3% for OH + 1-butene, and 3 ± 1% for OH + trans-2-butene. Analysis of ion fragmentation patterns leads to 72 ± 16% OH addition to the propene terminal C atom and 71 ± 16% OH addition to the 1-butene terminal C atom. The errors bars represent 95% confidence intervals and include estimated uncertainties in photoionization cross sections.

Reactions of the hydroxyl radical with propene and 1-butene are studied experimentally in the gas phase in a continuous supersonic flow reactor over the range 50≤T/K≤224. OH radicals are produced by pulsed laser photolysis of H(2)O(2) at 266 nm in the supersonic flow and followed by laser-induced fluorescence in the (1, 0) A(2)Σ(+)←X(2)Π(3/2) band at about 282 nm. These reactions are found to exhibit negative temperature dependences over the entire temperature range investigated, varying between (3.1-19.2) and (4.2-28.6)×10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for the reactions of OH with propene and 1-butene, respectively. Quantum chemical calculations of the potential energy surfaces are used as the basis for energy- and rotationally resolved Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus calculations to determine the rate constants over a range of temperatures and pressures. The negative temperature dependences of the rate constants are explained by competition between complex redissociation and passage to the adducts by using a model with two transition states. The results are compared and contrasted with earlier studies and discussed in terms of their potential relevance to the atmosphere of Saturn.