Direct Kinetic Measurements of Reactions between the Simplest Criegee Intermediate CH2OO and Alkenes

An Estimation of the Levels of Stabilized Criegee Intermediates in the UK Urban and Rural Atmosphere Using the Steady-State Approximation and the Potential Effects of These Intermediates on Tropospheric Oxidation Cycles

Levels of the stabilized Criegee Intermediate (sCI), produced via the ozonolysis of unsaturated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were estimated at two London urban sites (Marylebone Road and Eltham) and one rural site (Harwell) in the UK over the period of 1998-2012. The steady-state approximation was applied to data obtained from the NETCEN (National Environmental Technology Centre) database, and the levels of annual average sCI were estimated to be in the range of 30-3000 molecules cm-3 for UK sites. A consistent diurnal cycle of sCI concentration is estimated for the UK sites with increasing levels during daylight hours, peaking just after midday. The seasonal pattern of sCI shows higher levels in spring with peaks around May due to the higher levels of O3. The ozone weekend effect resulted in higher sCI in UK urban areas during weekend. The sCI data were modeled using the information provided by the Air Quality Improvement Research Program (AQIRP) and found that the modeled production was five- to six-fold higher than our estimated data, and therefore the estimated sCI concentrations in this study are thought to be lower estimates only. Compared with nighttime, 1.3- to 1.8-fold higher sCI exists under daytime conditions. Using the levels of sCI estimated at Marylebone Road, globally the oxidation rates of NO2 + sCI (22.4 Gg/yr) and SO2 + sCI (37.6 Gg/yr) in urban areas can increase their effect in the troposphere and potentially further alter the oxidizing capacity of the troposphere. Further investigations of modeled sCI show that CH3CHOO (64%) and CH2OO (13%) are dominant among all contributing sCI at the UK sites.

Direct experimental probing and theoretical analysis of the reaction between the simplest Criegee intermediate CH2OO and isoprene

The reaction of CH₂OO with isoprene, the highest-emitted unsaturated compound on Earth, is similar to reactions with small singly-unsaturated alkenes.

Strong Negative Temperature Dependence of the Simplest Criegee Intermediate CH2OO Reaction with Water Dimer

The kinetics of the reaction of CH2OO with water vapor was measured directly with UV absorption at temperatures from 283 to 324 K. The observed CH2OO decay rate is second order with respect to the H2O concentration, indicating water dimer participates in the reaction. The rate coefficient of the CH2OO reaction with water dimer can be described by an Arrhenius expression k(T) = A exp(-Ea/RT) with an activation energy of -8.1 ± 0.6 kcal mol(-1) and k(298 K) = (7.4 ± 0.6) × 10(-12) cm(3) s(-1). Theoretical calculations yield a large negative temperature dependence consistent with the experimental results. The temperature dependence increases the effective loss rate for CH2OO by a factor of ~2.5 at 278 K and decreases by a factor of ~2 at 313 K relative to 298 K, suggesting that temperature is important for determining the impact of Criegee intermediate reactions with water in the atmosphere.

Observation of the simplest Criegee intermediate CH2OO in the gas-phase ozonolysis of ethylene

Ozonolysis is one of the dominant oxidation pathways for tropospheric alkenes. Although numerous studies have confirmed a 1,3-cycloaddition mechanism that generates a Criegee intermediate (CI) with form R1R2COO, no small CIs have ever been directly observed in the ozonolysis of alkenes because of their high reactivity. We present the first experimental detection of CH2OO in the gas-phase ozonolysis of ethylene, using Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy and a modified pulsed nozzle, which combines high reactant concentrations with rapid sampling and sensitive detection. Nine other product species of the O3 + C2H4 reaction were also detected, including formaldehyde, formic acid, dioxirane, and ethylene ozonide. The presence of all these species can be attributed to the unimolecular and bimolecular reactions of CH2OO, and their abundances are in qualitative agreement with published mechanisms and rate constants.

Theoretical study of the reactions of Criegee intermediates with ozone, alkylhydroperoxides, and carbon monoxide

The reaction of Criegee intermediates with hydroperoxides yields exotic ether oxides, as well as oligomers.

Kinetics of the unimolecular reaction of CH2OO and the bimolecular reactions with the water monomer, acetaldehyde and acetone under atmospheric conditions

The rate coefficients of the unimolecular reaction of CH₂OO and the bimolecular reactions with the water monomer and carbonyls were measured.

A kinetic study of the CH2OO Criegee intermediate self-reaction, reaction with SO2 and unimolecular reaction using cavity ring-down spectroscopy

A rate coefficient is reported for the CH₂OO self-reaction and evidence presented for SO₂-catalysed CH₂OO isomerization or intersystem crossing.

Direct Determination of the Simplest Criegee Intermediate (CH2OO) Self Reaction Rate

The rate of self-reaction of the simplest Criegee intermediate, CH2OO, is of importance in many current laboratory experiments where CH2OO concentrations are high, such as flash photolysis and alkene ozonolysis. Using laser flash photolysis while simultaneously probing both CH2OO and I atom by direct absorption, we can accurately determine absolute CH2OO concentrations as well as the UV absorption cross section of CH2OO at our probe wavelength (λ = 375 nm), which is in agreement with a recently published value. Knowing absolute concentrations we can accurately measure kself = 6.0 ± 2.1 × 10(-11)cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) at 297 K. We are also able to put an upper bound on the rate coefficient for CH2OO + I of 1.0 × 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). Both of these rate coefficients are at least a factor of 5 smaller than other recent measurements of the same reactions.

Direct observation of OH formation from stabilised Criegee intermediates

The first direct observation of OH radicals from syn-CH₃CHOO Criegee intermediates decomposition suggests it affects tropospheric chemistry and ambient OH measurements.