Lifetime of the CH3OH* intermediate in the reaction CH4+O(1 D 2)→CH3OH*→CH3+OH

Subpicosecond lasers measured the appearance rate of OH X(v=0) following 267 nm photolysis of the CH4⋅O3 van der Waals complex. The rise of the OH A←OH X laser-induced fluorescence with respect to the photolysis/probe delay time, tD, was LIF(tD)=1−exp(−tD/τ) with τ approximately 3 ps, indicating that the reaction CH4+O(1D2)→CH3+OH involves a CH3OH* intermediate with that lifetime. No prompt OH(v=0) from a direct or fast reaction was observed.