The C(3P) + NH3 reaction in interstellar chemistry: I. Investigation of the product formation channels

Abstract

The product formation channels of ground state carbon atoms, C(3P), reacting with ammonia, NH3, have been investigated using two complementary experiments and electronic structure calculations. Reaction products are detected in a gas flow tube experiment (330 K, 4 Torr) using tunable VUV photoionization coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry. Temporal profiles of the species formed and photoionization spectra are used to identify primary products of the C + NH3 reaction. In addition, H-atom formation is monitored by VUV laser induced fluorescence from room temperature to 50 K in a supersonic gas flow generated by the Laval nozzle technique. Electronic structure calculations are performed to derive intermediates, transition states and complexes formed along the reaction coordinate. The combination of photoionization and laser induced fluorescence experiments supported by theoretical calculations indicate that in the temperature and pressure range investigated, the H + H2CN production channel represents 100% of the product yield for this reaction. Kinetics measurements of the title reaction down to 50 K and the effect of the new rate constants on interstellar nitrogen hydride abundances using a model of dense interstellar clouds are reported in paper II.

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Cited by in corpus (15)

• The C(3P) + NH3 reaction in interstellar chemistry: II. Low temperature rate constants and modeling of NH, NH2 and NH3 abundances in dense interstellar clouds
• An experimental and theoretical investigation of the C(1D) + D2 reaction
• Chemical nitrogen fractionation in dense molecular clouds
• Interstellar detection of the simplest aminocarbyne, H2NC: an ignored but abundant molecule
• Temperature Dependent Product Yields for the Spin Forbidden Singlet Channel of the C(3P) + C2H2 Reaction
• Low temperature formation of pyridine and (iso)quinoline via neutral neutral reactions
• A Kinetic Study of the N(2D) + C2H4 Reaction at Low Temperature
• Experimental and Theoretical Studies of the N(2D) + H2 and D2 Reactions
• The chemistry of H2NC in the interstellar medium and the role of the C + NH3 reaction
• Sustained oscillations in Interstellar chemistry models
• H2CN/H2NC abundance ratio: a new potential temperature tracer for the interstellar medium
• Tunneling Enhancement of the Gas-Phase CH + CO2 Reaction at Low Temperature
• Experimental and theoretical studies of the gas-phase reactions of O(${}^1$D) with H${}_2$O and D${}_2$O at low temperature
• Rate constants and product yields for the C + CH3CHO reaction at low temperatures
• A new instrument for kinetics and branching ratio studies of gas phase collisional processes at very low temperatures