Mechanism and kinetics of the atmospheric reaction of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene bicyclic peroxy radical with OH

Abstract

The bicyclic peroxy radical (BPR) is the key intermediate during atmospheric oxidation of aromatics. In this paper, the reaction mechanisms and kinetics of the atmospheric reaction of the 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (1,3,5-TMB) BPR with the OH radical were studied by density functional theory (DFT) and conventional transition-state theory (CTST) calculations. The product channels of formation of the 1,3,5-TMB trioxide (ROOOH), OH-adducts and Criegee intermediate (CI) have been identified, and the geometries and energies of all the stationary points were calculated at the M08-HX/6-311 + g(2df,2p) level of theory. In addition, the rate constants for the individual reaction pathway at 298 K were calculated. The results showed that OH addition reactions including the formation of ROOOH and OH-adducts are the main pathways, whereas Criegee intermediate formation is of minor importance.