dolorescampbell
Oct 28, 2011, 06:07 PM
At conditions close to standard temperature and pressure, a 2006 paper found the rate constant of this reaction to be 1.01x10-18 cm3•mol-1•s-1 (C2H4 (g) O3 (g) → 2 CH2O (g) ½ O2 (g)), where the half-life of ozone was 88 minutes. The next year in 2007, astronomers discovered a flare many light-years away emitting radiation consistent with the CH2O spectrum. Is it likely that this interstellar formaldehyde was created by the reaction above, or is a different reaction more likely? Provide a rationale for your conclusion.