Activation energy for thermal decomposition of nitric oxide

✍ Scribed by Ren Jang Wu; Chuin Tih Yeh

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 366 KB
• Volume: 28
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0538-8066
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4601(1996)28:2<89::aid-kin3>3.0.co;2-h

✦ Synopsis

Variation of the reaction mechanism for homogeneous thermal decomposition of NO into N 2 a n d O2 in the temperature range between 1000 and 4000 K is studied. The decomposition always proceeds through an atomic chain mechanism initiated by formation of oxygen atom. However the step of the oxygen atom initiation depends on the reaction condition, i.e., collision between two NO molecules at low conversions (when PQ/PNO ratio << I ) and collision between NO and O2 and/or unimolecular decomposition of O2 at high conversions [after substantial O2 has been accumulated from the reaction) In this study, apparent activation energy (Eapp) of the decomposition reaction has been theoretically determined on the basis of o u r proposed mechanisms. The Eapp thus determined varies widely (from 254 to 401 kl rnol-') with the accepted step of initiation. This variation can account for the variations among experimental activation energies for the decomposition reaction in the literature 0 1996 john Wiley & Sons, Inc