Kinetics and products formation of the gas-phase reactions of tetrafluoroethylene with OH and NO3 radicals and ozone

Kinetic Analysis of Unimolecular Reactions Following the Addition of the Hydroxyl Radical to 1,1,2-Trifluoroethene

Fluorinated olefins are valued chemicals in industry, especially as heat transfer fluids in refrigeration applications. As these volatile compounds are widely used, they may be released into the atmosphere, and investigation of their reactions in the atmosphere are therefore of importance. The kinetic analysis of the reaction mechanisms of trifluoroethene (CF₂═CHF) with hydroxyl radicals is studied using computational chemistry at the M06-2X level with the 6-311++G(2d,d,p) and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets as well as the composite CBS-QB3 method. Rate coefficients for the proposed mechanisms are calculated using transition state theory (TST) with tunneling corrections. The calculated rate constants for OH addition to CF₂═CHF are in excellent agreement with experimental values. Kinetic parameters as a function of temperature and pressure are evaluated for the chemically activated formation and unimolecular dissociation of hydroxylfluoroalkyl intermediates. Important forward reactions result in adduct stabilization, H atoms, hydrogen fluoride (HF) via molecular elimination, and formation of fluorinated carbonyl radicals with CF₂(═O) and CHF(═O) product channels. Stabilization of initial adducts along with HF elimination are important reaction pathways under high pressure and low temperatures. Important HF eliminations and H atom transfers primarily involve H atoms from the hydroxyl group, as the C-H bonds on or adjacent to carbons with F atoms are stronger and show high barriers to H atom transfer.

Detailed kinetics of tetrafluoroethene ozonolysis

The C2F4 + O3 reaction plays an important role in the oxidation process of perfluoroalkenes in the atmosphere. The detailed reaction mechanism was explored using the accurate electronic structure method, CCSD(T)/CBS//B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ. The 1,3-cycloaddition of O3 with C2F4 to form the primary ozonide was found to be the rate-determining step of the oxidation process with a small barrier (i.e., 7.3 kcal mol-1 at 0 K). The temperature- and pressure-dependent behaviors of the title reaction were characterized in the range of 200-1000 K & 0.1-760 Torr using the integrated deterministic and stochastic master equation/Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (ME/RRKM) rate model with the inclusion of the corrections for anharmonicity and tunneling treatments. It is found that the anharmonic effect plays a role in the kinetic behaviors (e.g., lower the rate by a factor of ∼ two at 298 K) while the tunneling correction is insignificant. The total rate constants were found to be pressure-independent under the considered conditions, shown as ktot(T) = 4.80 × 10-23 × T2.69 × exp(-2983.4 K/T) (cm3 per molecule per s), which confirms the latest experimental data by Acerboni et al. (G. Acerboni, N. R. Jensen, B. Rindone and J. Hjorth, Chem. Phys. Lett., 1999, 309, 364-368); thus this study helps to resolve a long-term controversy among the previous measurements. The sensitivity analyses on the derived rate coefficients and time-resolved species mole fraction with respect to the ab initio input parameters were also performed to further understand as well as quantify the kinetic behaviors for the title reaction.

Kinetic study of the OH and Cl-initiated oxidation, lifetimes and atmospheric acceptability indices of three halogenated ethenes

First relative kinetic study for the OH/Cl reactions with three chloro-fluoro-ethenes at room-temperature and atmospheric pressure and environmental acceptability.

Thermolysis of fluoropolymers as a potential source of halogenated organic acids in the environment

Following the introduction of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs) gases as replacements for the ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), it has been discovered that HCFCs/HFCs can degrade in the atmosphere to produce trifluoroacetic acid, a compound with no known loss mechanisms in the environment, and higher concentrations in natural waters have been shown to be mildly phytotoxic. Present environmental levels of trifluooracetic acid are not accounted by HCFC/HFC degradation alone. Here we report that thermolysis of fluorinated polymers, such as the commercial polymers Teflon and Kel-F, can also produce trifluoroacetate and the similar compound chlorodifluoroacetate. This can occur either directly, or indirectly via products that are known to degrade to these haloacetates in the atmosphere. The environmental significance of these findings is confirmed by modelling, which indicates that the thermolysis of fluoropolymers in industrial and consumer high-temperature applications (ovens, non-stick cooking utensils and combustion engines) is likely to be a significant source of trifluoroacetate in urban rain water ( approximately 25 ng l-1, as estimated for Toronto). Thermolysis also leads to longer chain polyfluoro- and/or polychlorofluoro- (C3-C14) carboxylic acids which may be equally persistent. Some of these products have recently been linked with possible adverse health and environmental impacts and are being phased out of the US market. Furthermore, we detected CFCs and fluorocarbons-groups that can destroy ozone and act as greenhouse gases, respectively-among the other thermal degradation products, suggesting that continued use of fluoropolymers may also exacerbate stratospheric ozone-depletion and global warming.