ICR studies of some hydrogen atom abstraction reactions: X+ + H2 → XH+ + H

Abstract

Ion cyclotron resonance methods are used to identify and to measure the rate constants for the abstraction of a hydrogen atom from H2 by CH+, CH2+, CH4+, N+, NH+, NH2+, NH3+, O+, OH+, H2O+, CO+, N2+, C2+, and C2H+ ions. Although in most cases hydrogen atom abstraction is the only available exothermic pathway for these reactions at thermal energies, the rate constants measured show that except for O+, CO+, and N2+, a large fraction of collisions between these ions and H2 are not reactive. The rate constants measured range from a low of (3±1) × 10−13 cm3/sec for the NH3+−H2 reaction to (1.73±0.04) × 10−9 cm3/sec for the N2+−H2 reaction. These values compare to the Langevin value of about 1.5 × 10−9 cm3/sec for collisions between these ions and H2. An examination was also made for possible thermoneutral hydrogen atom exchange reactions for those ions which do not react with H2 (CH5+, CH3+, NH4+, H3O+, H2S+, H3S+). The only exchange reaction observed was for collisions between CD3+ ions and H2, for which a rate constant of (5.1±0.5) × 10−10 cm3/sec was measured.