Gas-Phase Reaction of Methyl n-Propyl Ether with OH, NO₃, and Cl: Kinetics and Mechanism

Rate constants at room temperature (293 ± 2 K) and atmospheric pressure for the reaction of methyl n-propyl ether (MnPE), CH₃OCH₂CH₂CH₃, with OH and NO₃ radicals and the Cl atom have been determined in a 100 L FEP-Teflon reaction chamber in conjunction with gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) as the detection technique. The obtained rate constants k (in units of cm³ molecule^-1 s^-1) are (9.91 ± 2.30) × 10^-12, (1.67 ± 0.32) × 10^-15, and (2.52 ± 0.14) × 10^-10 for reactions with OH, NO₃, and Cl, respectively. The products of these reactions were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and formation mechanisms are proposed for the observed reaction products. Atmospheric lifetimes of the studied ether, calculated from rate constants of the different reactions, reveal that the dominant loss process for MnPE is its reaction with OH, while in coastal areas and in the marine boundary layer, MnPE loss by Cl reaction is also important.