Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Kinetics of the CH 3 + HBr → CH 4 + Br Reaction and the Temperature Dependence of the Activation Energy of CH 4 + Br → CH 3 + HBr.

The rate coefficient of the reaction of CH 3 with HBr was measured and calculated in the temperature range 225-960 K. The results of the measurements performed in a flow apparatus with mass spectrometric detection agree very well with the quasiclassical trajectory calculations performed on a previously developed potential energy surface. The experimental rate coefficients are described well with a double-exponential fit, k 1 (exp) = [1.44 × 10 -12 exp(219/ T ) + 6.18 × 10 -11 exp(-3730/ T )] cm 3 molecule -1 s -1 . The individual rate coefficients below 500 K accord with the available experimental data as does the slightly negative activation energy in this temperature range, -1.82 kJ/mol. At higher temperatures, the activation energy was found to switch sign and it rises up to about an order of magnitude larger positive value than that below 500 K, and the rate coefficient is about 50% larger at 960 K than that around room temperature. The rate coefficients calculated with the quasiclassical trajectory method display the same tendencies and are within about 8% of the experimental data between 960 and 300 K and within 25% below that temperature. The significant variation of the magnitude of the activation energy can be reconciled with the tabulated heats of formation only if the activation energy of the reverse CH 4 + Br reaction also significantly increases with the temperature.