Measurement of high temperature rate constants using a discharge flow shock tube

A discharge flow shock tube has been constructed, and has been used to study the reaction of atomic hydrogen with N/sub 2/O at temperatures between 1473 and 2710/sup 0/K. Over this temperature range, the rate constant for reaction 1, H + N/sub 2/O ..-->.. N/sub 2/ + OH, has been measured as k/sub 1/ = (6.35 +- 1.10) x 10/sup -11/ exp(-16900 +- 750 cal/RT) cm/sup 3/ molecule/sup -1/ s/sup -1/. The apparatus should allow many other elementary free-radical reactions to be studied for the first time in isolation, at flame temperatures. The results so far obtained show that reaction 1 could serve as a suitable source for the study of high temperature reactions of OH. 3 figures.