Kinetic and thermochemical studies of the ClO + ClO + M ↔ Cl2O2 + M reaction

Chlorine monoxide (ClO) radicals play a crucial role in polar ozone destruction events and the ClO dimer cycle has been identified as one of the most effective ozone-depleting catalytic cycles operating in the polar winter. A recent paper by von Hobe et al.1 highlighted significant inconsistencies between laboratory results, theoretical calculations and field observations concerning the ClO dimer ozone destruction cycle. This work has investigated the temperature dependence of the equilibrium constant of one of the key reactions in this cycle, ClO + ClO + M ↔ Cl2O2 + M (1, -1), by means of laser flash photolysis coupled with time-resolved UV absorption spectroscopy. ClO radicals were generated via laser flash photolysis of Cl2/Cl2O mixtures in synthetic air. The concentration of radicals was monitored via UV absorption spectroscopy: the use of a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) detector allowed time resolution over a broad range of wavelengths. The equilibrium constant Keq was determined as the ratio of the rate constants of the forward and reverse reaction (1, -1) over the T range 256 - 312 K. Second Law and Third Law analytical methods were employed to determine the standard enthalpy and entropy changes of reaction 1, ΔrH° and ΔrS°, from the measured equilibrium constants. The values obtained from the Second Law analysis (ΔrH° = - 80.8 ± 2.2 kJ mol-1; ΔrS° = - 168.4 ± 7.9 J K-1 mol-1) are in good agreement with previous work 2 but greater in magnitude than current NASA recommendations 3. It was also found that, under typical laboratory conditions employed in this work, [ClO] decay exhibits pure second order kinetics at T ≤ 250 K. A higher rate constant for the ClO recombination reaction (1) was also observed in this work (compared to the NASA evaluation 3), implying a higher Keq and a different partitioning between ClO and Cl2O2, shifting towards the dimer. 1. M. Von Hobe, R. J. Salawitch, T. Canty, H. Keller-Rudek, G. K. Moortgat, J.-U. Grooss, R. Müller, F. Stroh, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2007, 7, 3055 2. S. L. Nickolaisen, R. R. Friedl, S. P. Sander, Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1994, 98, 155 3. S. P. Sander, R. R. Friedl, D. M. Golden, M. J. Kurylo, R. E. Huie, V. L. Orkin, G. K. Moortgat, A. R. Ravishankara, C. E. Kolb, M. J. Molina, B. J. Finlayson-Pitts, Chemical Kinetics and Photochemical Data for use in Atmospheric Studies, Evaluation No. 14, JPL Publication 02-25, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA, 2003