Investigation of the thermal decomposition of ketene and of the reaction CH2 + H2 CH3 + H

Using frequency modulation (FM) spectroscopy singlet methylene radicals have been detected for the first time behind shock waves. The thermal decomposition of ketene served as source for metylene radicals at temperatures from 1905 to 2780 K and pressures around 450 mbar. For the unimolecular decomposition reaction, (1) CH2CO+M → CH2 +CO+M, the rate constants obtained are: k1 = (9.5±5.7) · 1015 · exp[(-244±25) kJ mol-1/RT] cm3mol-1 s-1. As a first study of a methylene reaction at high temperatures by diretly tracing methylene the reaction of methylene with hydrogen, (8+9) 1.3CH2 + H2 → CH3 + H, was investigated at temperatures from 1930 to 2455 K and pressures around 500 mbar. For the total rate constant of the singlet and triplet methylene reaction a temperature independent value was obtained: log(kg+9/(cm3mol-1s-1)) = 13.89±0.26. A comparison with low temperature literature data and the systematics of activation energies of triplet methylene reactions allowed a consistent description of singlet and triplet contributions and of the forward and reverse reaction. © by Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, München.