Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Ravishankara, A. R.

Publications and source records attributed to Ravishankara, A. R..

28 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Stratospheric chemistry

Recent improvements in the data base for the currently identified reactions describing the chemistry of the major families of trace gas species, HO(x), NO(x), ClO(x), and hydrocarbons are assessed. The important coupling reactions between the families are introduced progressively. Chemical aspects such as heterogeneous reactions and reactions of sodium species, the importance of which are not yet completely established, are discussed. Recent attempts to reconcile some of the more unexpected kinetic behavior which has emerged from the extensive experimental studies of key reactions with current reaction rate theory are also examined. The uncertainties in the current kinetic and photochemical data base is given. The prospects for improvement of data for known reactions of atmospheric importance as well as for the identification of gaps in the chemical description of the atmosphere.

Cox, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Pulsed laser photolysis study of the reaction between O(3P) and HO2

It is pointed out that bimolecular reactions involving two free radicals are of great interest because both reactants have unpaired electrons and hence could interact at distances longer than those typical of radical-molecule encounters. A method based on laser photolysis is being developed to produce selectively free radicals in the homogeneous gas phase. This is to be done in such a way as to isolate the reaction of interest and subsequently follow the course of the reaction using spectroscopic techniques. The present investigation is concerned with a study in which the rate coefficient for the reaction of O(3P) with HO2, has been measured at N2 pressures ranging from 10 to 500 torr, taking into account the reaction O(3P)+HO2 yields OH-O2. In the described study, O(3P) and HO2 were produced by cophotolysis of O3 and H2O2 in N2 at 248.5 nm using a KrF excimer laser.

Ravishankara, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A laser flash photolysis kinetics study of the reaction OH + H2O2 yields HO2 + H2O

Absolute rate constants for the reaction are reported as a function of temperature over the range 273-410 K. OH radicals are produced by 266 nm laser photolysis of H2O2 and detected by resonance fluorescence. H2O2 concentrations are determined in situ in the slow flow system by UV photometry. The results confirm the findings of two recent discharge flow-resonance fluorescence studies that the title reaction is considerably faster, particularly at temperatures below 300 K, than all earlier studies had indicated. A table giving kinetic data from the reaction is included.

Wine, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Potential role of CS2 photooxidation in tropospheric sulfur chemistry

Absorption cross section measurements and model calculations indicate that CS2 photooxidation may be an important tropospheric sink for the CS2, giving a lifetime on the order of a week or two. If background CS2 levels are 10-20 pptv, then CS2 photooxidation may be an important global source of OCS as well.

Wine, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Rate of reaction of OH with HNO3

Measurements of the kinetics of the reaction of OH with HNO3, and mechanisms of HNO3 removal from the stratosphere, are reported. Bimolecular rate constants were determined at temperatures between 224 and 366 K by monitoring the concentrations of OH radicals produced by HNO3 photolysis and HNO3 according to their resonance fluorescence and 184.9-nm absorption, respectively. The rate constant measured at 298 K is found to be somewhat faster than previously accepted values, with a negative temperature dependence. Calculations of a one-dimensional transport-kinetic atmospheric model on the basis of the new rate constant indicate reductions in O3 depletion due to chlorofluoromethane release and NOx injection, of magnitudes dependent on the nature of the reaction products.

Wine, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A laser flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence kinetics study of the reaction Cl/2P/ + CH4 yields CH3 + HCl

The technique of laser flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence is employed to study the kinetics of the reaction Cl(2P) + CH4 yields CH3 + HCl over the temperature range 221-375 K. At temperatures less than or equal to 241 K the apparent bimolecular rate constant is found to be dependent upon the identity of the chemically inert gases in the reaction mixture. For Cl2/CH4/He reaction mixtures (total pressure = 50 torr) different bimolecular rate constants are measured at low and high methane concentrations. For Cl2/CH4/CCl/He and Cl2/CH4/Ar reaction mixtures, the bimolecular rate constant is independent of methane concentration, being approximately equal to the rate constant measured at low methane concentrations for Cl2/CH4/He mixtures. These rate constants are in good agreement with previous results obtained using the discharge flow-resonance fluorescence and competitive chlorination techniques. At 298 K the measured bimolecular rate constant is independent of the identity of the chemically inert gases in the reaction mixture and in good agreement with all previous investigations. The low-temperature results obtained in this investigation and all previous investigations can be rationalized in terms of a model which assumes that the Cl(2P 1/2) state reacts with CH4 much faster than the Cl(2P 3/2) state. Extrapolation of this model to higher temperatures, however, is not straightforward.

Ravishankara, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

High resolution absorption cross sections for the A2Pi-X2Pi system of ClO

High-resolution ultraviolet absorption cross-sections for the ClO molecule are obtained, with the aim of facilitating studies of ozone depletion resulting from the injection of chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere. The spectroscopic analysis, which involves a frequency-doubled tunable dye laser with a bandwidth of 0.015 A, is described. Studies of the rotational lines of the ClO A 2Pi 3/2-X2Pi 3/2 9-10 band were conducted. Peak cross-sections for the P and R lines of the 9-0 band are found to be 10.0, 9.6, 8.6, 10.6, 10.3, and 9.2 times ten to the negative seventeenth power cm squared, with estimated accuracy of plus or minus 25%. Problems in distinguishing between Cl-35 and Cl-37 absorption are also considered.

Wine, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

A study of the chemical degradation of ClONO2 in the stratosphere

The flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence system described by Davis et al. (1974) is used to measure the rate constants for the reactions of chlorine nitrate (ClONO2) with stratospheric O(3-P) and OH. Both reactions are examined in a pyrex cell with an internal volume of about 150 cu cm, where the reaction mixture was maintained at 245 K by circulating methanol from a thermostated circulation bath through the outer jacket of the reaction cell. The relative chemical degradation rates as a function of altitude for both reactions are tabulated, which shows that the chemical degradation pathways contribute less than 10% to the total rate of ClONO2 destruction at altitudes less than 30 km. Since the concentration of ClONO2 is calculated to be near its maximum around 25 km and drops off very significantly at higher altitudes, it is concluded that the photochemical decomposition of ClONO2 in the stratosphere is by far the most important degradation path for this molecule.

Ravishankara, A. R.↗