In this work we measured the absorption cross sections of the fourth (~700 nm) and fifth (~612 nm) vibrational overtone of the O-H bond in peracetic acid (CH3(C=O)OOH). These measurements utilized an ultra sensitive absorption technique called cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), in addition to a UV absorption cell. For peracetic acid, absorption of light at wavelengths below 698 nm could lead to photochemical transformations, such as the production of OH radical. These reaction represents an alternative and poorly characterized source of atmospheric OH, as opposed to the well-characterized product of excited oxygen atom O(1D) and water. The peracetic acid was isolated from a commercially available mixture using wet chemical methods. RRKM theory was used to determine the probability of a reaction upon absorption of a photon.

Determining the photolysis rate constant of peracetic acid by measuring the absorption cross sections of the O-H stretching overtones using cavity ring-down spectroscopy

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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