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RESEARCH

Chemistry Department Laboratory experiments

OH-radical initiated gas-phase reactions

Staff

Overview

The investigations are conducted in flow tubes operating at room temperature and in the pressure range of 100 - 1000 mbar. The aim of this work is to find out mechanistic informations concerning atmospheric degradation pathways of selected hydrocarbons (benzene, 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, α-pinene) initiated by the attack of OH radicals.

The formation of OH radicals proceeds via:

photolysis of methyl nitrite
ozonolysis of TME (tetramethyl ethylene)
reaction of NO with HO₂ (HO₂ from the reaction of H-atoms with O₂)

For analysing gaseous compounds the following approaches are used:

long-path UV spectroscopy
long-path FT-IR spectroscopy
GC-MS/FID with a cryo-enrichment unit
mass spectrometry
different enrichment- and derivatisation techniques

Needed reference substances are synthesised for an unambiguous identification of oxidation products.

Current topics

Cover picture of the science magazine "SCIENCE"

"Formation of phenol and carbonyls from the atmospheric reaction of OH radicals with benzene" im Wissenschaftsmagazin "Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics" in the science magazine "Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics".

[Article]

Publication list of the chemistry department.

Projects

Contact: Dr. Torsten Berndt

Last change: 2007-05-16