Production of Hydrogen Molecule from Methane Molecule Amplified with Excitation of Anti-Symmetric Modes of Vibration

Abstract

Some factors, such as pressure and temperature, affect the rate of chemical reactions. In addition, the activation energy barrier must be overcome for the reaction to be initiated. It can be preferred to overcome this barrier by using catalysts and preheating. The catalyst ensures that it obtains the energy to react quickly by transferring it to the reactants. Similarly, the translational, vibrational, and rotational energy levels of reactants can be increased by preheating. According to the kinetic molecular theory of gases, preheating increases the kinetic energies of the gases and the speed of their collision, so the reaction takes place faster. This study theoretically investigates possible reactions of methane that can occur with the effect of only vibrational energy levels. The vibrational excitation of the molecules affects the reaction rates, and the activation barrier is overcome with lower energies. Using laser-based techniques makes the excitation of well-defined vibrational modes possible. This study investigated inelastic collisions of a methane molecule with well-characterized energy levels in infrared spectroscopy with some gases and the vibrational energy transfers that occur in these collisions. The methane molecule is the simplest form of a molecular structure consisting of more than three atoms of hydrogen atoms, which play an essential role in combustion chemistry. It shows that C⸺H stretch excitation increases the reaction rate of methane (CH4) molecules.