Chemical Kinetics J Complex Compounds J Elementary Reactions J Shock Waves / ThermodynamicsHydrogcn atom abstraction from phenylacetylene (C6HS-C2H) like its reaction with hydrogen atoms have been studied at elevated temperatures behind reflected shocks. -The unimolecular decomposition of very low initial concentrations (3 -22 ppm) of phenylacetylene was investigated in the temperature range 1600 to 1900 K by monitoring the temporal H-atom production. -For C6HS-C2H + H, the thermal decomposition of very low concentrations (1 -3 ppm) of C2HJ served as H-atom source. Atomic resonance absorption spectrometry (ARAS) was used to record simultaneously H-atom and I-atom profiles. The experiments covcrcd the temperature range 1190 to 1530 K. -For both series of experiments, the total pressure was about 2.3 (+/-0.3) bar. k-2a = 3.6.10". exp(-44000/T) cm3 mol-' s-l is deduced for the reaction of phenyl readicals with acetylene, which is an important process in sooting flamcs:(R-2a)This rate constant agrees within a factor of 2 with the data from recent studies executed by Fahr et al. [la, 1 b]. C6H6 C6H50 C6H4C2H C10H7 Fig. 1 Principal reaction pathways for phenylacetylene formation/destruction in a benzeneair flame Bur. Bunsenges. Phps. Chenl. 96 11992) N(J. 10 0 VCH Verluysgesellschuft mbH. W-6940 Weinheim, 1992 000.5-9021/92/fOlO-l333 $ 3.50+.25/0 A. Bencsura et al.: Weak Collision Effects in the Reaction CHjCO o CH3 + C O ~ the uncertainty in k,,,, which gives an error of about f70% for the displacement reaction R -2a. Moreover, if we take into account the uncertainties in the thermodynamic data for phenylacetylene [18,19] and for the phenyl radical [20], the values of Kc(R2a) may change easily by factors of 2 to 3. If a second reaction pathway (R2b) would contribute appreciably to the overall rate constant k2, than the difference between the results from Fahr et al. [ l a , l b ] and those of the present study would still become larger.All these arguments give indications to consider pathway R2a as the more favorable reaction channel.Rate constants for the unimolecular decomposition of C H 3 C 0 have been obtained as a function of temperature (420-500 K) and helium density (3-18 . 10l6 atom cm-'), conditions which are in the second order region of the fall-off curve. An Arrhenius expression for the low-pressure limit unimolecular rate constant was obtained from the results, &(He) = (6.7 f 1.8) . lo-' exp[(-6921 f 126 K)/T] cm3 molecule-' s-'. Using a Master Equation formalism to calculate values of kl, a set of the two energy parameters needed in the calculations, E , and (AE)down (including its temperature dependence), was found that is within the range of expected values (including a temperature dependence in the case of (AE)down), which, when incorporated into the Master Equation, provides calculated rate constants which agree well with the measured ones. They are E, = 65.3 4.0 kJ mol-' and (AE)down = 65.6 + 0.271 T cm ' (the latter, a parameterized expression, is valid only in the temperature range of this study)....