Capture of Thermal Electrons by Oxygen

Permanent capture of thermal electrons by O2 to form O2− ions requires the participation of a third body in the collision process to provide a dynamical channel for stabilization. The effectiveness of H2O and C2H4 as stabilizing agents in three-(C2H4–O2–H2O) and two-(C2H4–O2) component mixtures has been investigated. The results are analyzed through the following three-body reaction scheme: e+O2+O2→ lim k1O2−+O2+energy,e+O2+H2O→ lim k2O2−+H2O+energy,e+O2+C2H4→ lim k3O2−+C2H4+energy,and the rate constants k1, k2, and k3 are equal to 0.20±0.02 [J. L. Pack and A. V. Phelps, J. Chem. Phys. 44, 1870 (1966); 45, 4316 (1966)], 1.4±0.5, and 0.34±0.04×10−29 cm6 sec−1, respectively.