KINETICS OF THE BRANCHING STEP IN THE REACTION OF HYDROGEN WITH OXYGEN.
Abstract
Lower explosion limits in hydrogen-oxygen and deuterium-oxygen mixtures were measured in the diffusion regime. From the data, the rate constants for the reaction H + O2 to OH + O and its isotope effect were calculated between 800 and 1000K. A theory is presented for reactions of essentially zero activation energy which, when applied to the above reaction and its reverse, leads to a rate constant expression which is a hybrid between that of the absolute rate theory and that of the classical collision theory of reactions. Subsidiary observations and theory related to the kinetics of the branching reaction and its elucidation by the method of explosion limits are reported. These include: (1) the concept of chain branching efficiencies; contributions to the theory of explosion limits; observations and the explanation of very long induction times in the vicinity of the lower explosion limit in the diffusion regime; observations on the kinetics of the reaction H + O2 + M to HO2 + M and its isotope effect with deuterium; similar observations for the reaction O + H2 to OH + H; and observations on the elusive subject of chain initiation, which indicate that the initiation process is heterogeneous at the low pressure of these experiments. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0635159
Entities
People
- Shelby Clarke Kurzius
Organizations
- Princeton University