Chemical kinetic model of the chain reaction of atmospheric nitrogen oxidation initiated by electric discharge

• Published in: Russian journal of physical chemistry. B Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 748 - 752
• Main Authors: Fedotov, V. G., Fedotova, E. Ya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.09.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Chemical reactions; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Electric discharges; Kinetics and Mechanism of Chemical Reactions. Catalysis; Nitrogen dioxide; Nitrogen oxides; Oxidation; Physical Chemistry; Positive feedback; О atoms; NO; electric discharge; electronically excited molecules; atmospheric nitrogen oxidation; NO oxidation; *; chain reaction; quasistationary concentrations method; explosion in air; chemical kinetic model; kinetic equations
• ISSN: 1990-7931; 1990-7923
• DOI: 10.1134/S1990793116050183

To develop an adequate mathematical description of explosion in air observed under the specific conditions of electric discharge initiation, we considered a chemical kinetic model of interaction between two chain reactions: NO oxidation, which provides high concentration of О atoms required for obtaining nitrogen oxide in the processes O + N 2 ( A 3 Σ u + ) → O( 1 S ) and O( 1 S )–N 2 + O → NO + NO( B 2 Π) and nitrogen oxidation, which leads to electronically excited NO 2 * molecules required for the formation of О atoms in the oxidation of NO. This positive feedback leads to an avalanche-like increase in the concentration of О atoms and the rate of both chain reactions, i.e., causes an explosion in air initiated by electric discharge.