What are the Implications of Nonequilibrium in the O+OH and O+HO2 Reactions?

Vibrationally excited O2, OH, and HO2 species have been suggested (J. Phys. Chem. A 2004, 108, 758) to provide clues for explaining the "ozone deficit problem" and "HOx dilemma" in the middle atmosphere under conditions of local thermodynamic disequilibrium (LTD), but the question arises of how much LTD will affect the title ozone sink reactions. Besides providing novel kinetic results, it is shown that LTD tends to disfavor ozone depletion relative to traditional atmospheric modeling under Boltzmann equilibration, which is partly due to competition between the various reactive channels. The calculations also suggest that the title LTD processes can be important sources of highly vibrationally excited O2 in the middle atmosphere. Moreover, LTD is shown to offer an explanation for the fact that some down revision of the O + HO2 rate constant, or the ratio of the O + HO2 to O + OH rate constants, is required to improve agreement between the predictions of traditional modeling and observation. This, in turn, provides significant evidence supporting LTD at such altitudes.

Calculation of the rate constant for state-selected recombination of H+O2(v) as a function of temperature and pressure

Classical trajectory calculations using the MERCURY/VENUS code have been carried out on the H+O(2) reactive system using the DMBE-IV potential energy surface. The vibrational quantum number and the temperature were selected over the ranges nu=0 to 15, and T=300 to 10 000 K, respectively. All other variables were averaged. Rate constants were determined for the energy transfer process, H+O(2)(nu)-->H+O(2)(nu(")), for the bimolecular exchange process, H+O(2)(nu)-->OH(nu('))+O, and for the dissociative process, H+O(2)(nu)-->H+O+O. The dissociative process appears to be a mere extension of the process of transferring large amounts of energy. State-to-state rate constants are given for the exchange reaction, and they are in reasonable agreement with previous results, while the energy transfer and dissociative rate constants have never been reported previously. The lifetime distributions of the HO(2) complex, calculated as a function of v and temperature, were used as a basis for determining the relative contributions of various vibrational states of O(2) to the thermal rate coefficients for recombination at various pressures. This novel approach, based on the complex's ability to survive until it collides in a secondary process with an inert gas, is used here for the first time. Complete falloff curves for the recombination of H+O(2) are also calculated over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The combination of the two separate studies results in pressure- and temperature-dependent rate constants for H+O(2)(nu)(+Ar) right arrow over left arrow HO(2)(+Ar). It is found that, unlike the exchange reaction, vibrational and rotational-translational energy are liabilities in promoting recombination.