Sd. Lepicard et al., EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL KINETICS FOR THE REACTION OF AL WITH O-2AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 23 AND 295 K, The journal of physical chemistry. A, Molecules, spectroscopy, kinetics, environment, & general theory, 101(51), 1997, pp. 9988-9992
The first study of the kinetics of Al atoms with O-2 at low and ultral
ow temperatures is reported. Rate constants have been measured from 29
5 to 23 K using the pulsed laser photolysis-laser-induced fluorescence
(PLP-LIF) technique in a CRESU (Cinetique de Reaction en Ecoulement S
upersonique Uniforme) apparatus. Rate constants were found to increase
monotonically with decreasing temperature: k(T) = (1.75 +/- 0.10) x 1
0(-10)(T/298)(-0.25+/-0.02) exp[(7.3 +/- 3.0)/T] cm(3) s(-1). The rate
constant for the reaction Al with O-2 has also been calculated as a f
unction of temperature using a theoretical approach based on the adiab
atic capture centrifugal sudden approximation (ACCSA) method, These ca
lculations were found to be in good agreement with experimental result
s and were able to explain the observed temperature dependence by the
open-shell nature of the reactants, Possible astrophysical implication
s are also discussed concerning the chemistry of aluminum atoms in the
interstellar medium.