FTIR gas-phase kinetic study on the reactions of some acrylate esters with OH radicals and Cl atoms

Acrylate esters are α,β-unsaturated esters that contain vinyl groups directly attached to the carbonyl carbon. These compounds are widely used in the production of plastics and resins. Atmospheric degradation processes of these compounds are currently not well understood. The kinetics of the gas phase reactions of OH radicals with methyl 3-methylacrylate and methyl 3,3-dimethylacrylate were determined using the relative rate technique in a 50 L Pyrex photoreactor using in situ FTIR spectroscopy at room temperature (298 ± 2 K) and atmospheric pressure (708 ± 8 Torr) with air as the bath gas. Rate coefficients obtained were (in units cm3 molecule−1 s−1): (3.27 ± 0.33) × 10−11 and (4.43 ± 0.42) × 10−11, for CH3CH═CHC(O)OCH3 and (CH3)2CH═CHC(O)OCH3, respectively. The same technique was used to study the gas phase reactions of hexyl acrylate and ethyl hexyl acrylate with OH radicals and Cl atoms. In the experiments with Cl, N2 and air were used as the bath gases. The following rate coefficients were obtained (in cm3 molecule−1 s−1): k3 (CH2═CHC(O)O(CH2)5CH3 + Cl) = (3.31 ± 0.31) × 10−10, k4(CH2═CHC(O)OCH2CH(CH2CH3)(CH2)3CH3 + Cl) = (3.46 ± 0.31) × 10−10, k5(CH2═CHC(O)O(CH2)5CH3 + OH) = (2.28 ± 0.23) × 10−11, and k6(CH2═CHC(O)OCH2CH(CH2CH3)(CH2)3CH3 + OH) = (2.74 ± 0.26) × 10−11. The reactivity increased with the number of methyl substituents on the double bond and with the chain length of the alkyl group in –C(O)OR. Estimations of the atmospheric lifetimes clearly indicate that the dominant atmospheric loss process for these compounds is their daytime reaction with the hydroxyl radical. In coastal areas and in some polluted environments, Cl atom-initiated degradation of these compounds can be significant, if not dominant. Maximum Incremental Reactivity (MIR) index and global warming potential (GWP) were also calculated, and it was concluded that these compounds have significant MIR values, but they do not influence global warming.