Acetic acid formation via the hydration of gas-phase ketene under ambient conditions

Tara F. Kahan, Thomas K. Ormond, G. Barney Ellison, Veronica Vaida

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have monitored changes in the infrared spectrum of gas-phase ketene in the presence of water vapor at 295 K. The products observed from ketene hydration are acetic acid, acetic acid dimer, and acetic anhydride. The time-dependence of product formation supports a reaction mechanism in which ketene hydrates to form acetic acid, which then combines with another acetic acid monomer to form a dimer, or with ketene to form acetic anhydride. These results show that ketene can undergo hydration under atmospherically-relevant temperatures and relative humidities. This reaction could be a source of atmospheric carboxylic acids, especially in biomass burning plumes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-4
Number of pages4
JournalChemical Physics Letters
Volume565
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 5 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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