Thermal reaction of CH₂O with NO₂ in the temperature range of 393–476 K: FTIR product measurement and kinetic modeling

The thermal reaction of CH₂O with NO₂ has been investigated in the temperature range of 393–476 K by means of FTIR product analysis. Kinetic modeling of the measured CH₂O, NO, CO, and CO₂ concentration time profiles under varying reaction conditions gave rise to the rate constants for the following key reactions: (Formula Presented.) and (Formula Presented.) The error limits shown represent only the scatter (±1 σ) of the modeled values. In the modeling, the total rate constant for the CHO + NO₂ reaction, k₂ + k₃, was not varied and the value reported by Gutman and co‐workers (ref. [8]) was used for the whole temperature range investigated here. The proposed reaction mechanism, employing these newly established rate constants, can quantitively account for nearly all measured product yields, including the [CO]/([CO] + [CO₂]) ratios reported by earlier workers.