Accurate measurements of OH reaction rate constants over atmospheric temperatures and the atmospheric lifetime of trace gases

Reactions with hydroxyl radicals and photolysis are the main processes dictating the compound residence time in the atmosphere for a majority of trace gases. In case of very short lived compounds their reaction with OH dictates both the atmospheric lifetime and active halogen release. Therefore, the accuracy of OH kinetic data is of primary importance for the purpose of comprehensive atmospheric modeling of compound's impact on the atmosphere, such as in ozone depletion (ODP) and climate change (GWP). The currently recommended uncertainties of OH reaction rate constants (NASA/JPL Publications and IUPAC Publications) exceed 10% at room temperature for the majority of compounds to be larger at lower temperatures of atmospheric interest. Thus, uncertainties in the photochemical properties of potential and current atmospheric trace gases obtained under controlled laboratory conditions may constitute a major source of uncertainty in estimating the compound's environmental impact. We will present the higher accuracy results of OH reaction rate constant determinations between 220 K and 370 K. A statistical analysis of the data will be discussed. The high precision of kinetic measurements performed at low temperatures allows reliable determination of temperature dependences of the rate constants. This is especially important because we found that many OH reactions exhibit the curvature of the Arrhenius plots. A detailed inventory of sources of instrumental uncertainties related to our experiment proves a total uncertainty of the OH reaction rate constant to be as small as ~2-3%. The estimation of the atmospheric lifetime of a compound based on its OH reaction rate constant will be discussed.