Nitrous Oxide Decomposition and its Reaction with Atomic Oxygen

Abstract The thermal decomposition of nitrous oxide (N2 0) was studied in a single-pulse shock tube in the temperature range 1300 to 1950 ° K at a total concentration of 2 x 10− 5 moles/ cc. The Arrhenius rate constant for the reaction N2O + M→ N2 O+ M is given by K1 = 1013.1 exp (-44,100/ RT) a/ mole sec. The ratio of the rate constants for the two competing secondary reactions, N2O + O→ N2 + O2 and N2O + O → NO + NO was also determined and was found to be K3 / K2 The overall rate of N2 O decomposition is also discussed and the results of previous investigators are compared to the findings reported here