Reaction of high-velocity atomic oxygen with carbon

The rate of reaction of solid carbon with atomic oxygen impacting at a translational energy of approximately 100 kJ/mole has been measured at carbon surface temperatures ranging from 300-400 K. The magnitudes of the rates and the apparent activation energy (with respect to the carbon surface temperature) of approximately 15 kJ/mole are in good agreement with rates reported in the literature for the reaction of atomic oxygen with carbon at thermal impact energies. The relatively good agreement among these two sorts of laboratory measurements and reaction rates inferred from exposure of carbon to the low Earth orbit environment on various flights of the Space Shuttle suggests that there is little or no dependence of the rate of this reaction on the translational energy with which the atomic oxygen strikes the carbon surface.