Does the HO2 radical react with ketones?

The possible reactions of HO2 with five ketones were studied using a flow tube reactor equipped with a laser magnetic resonance detector. We did not observe reactive loss of HO2 in any of the five reactions. We place upper limits of <8 × 10−16, <7 × 10−16, <5 × 10−16, <4 × 10−16, and <9 × 10−16 (in units of cm3; molecule−1 S−1) at 298 K for the reactions of HO2 with CH3COCH3, CH3COC2H5, CH3COC3H7, C2H5COC2H5, and CH3COC4H9, respectively, to give products other than an adduct. We conclude that their reactions with HO2 are unlikely to be important loss processes for ketones in the atmosphere.