Temperature Dependence of the Rate Constant and Product Channels for the BrO + ClO Reaction

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/j100318a032

We have measured the rate constant for the reactions BrO + ClO -> Br + OClO (6a), BrO + ClO -> Br + Cl + O2 (6b), and BrO + ClO -> BrCl + O2 (6c) over the temperature range 241-408 K and found k₆ = (8.2 +/- 1.0)E-12 cm³ molecule^-1 s^-1 independent of temperature.Measurement of the individual product branching ratios yielded values for channels 6a, 6b, and 6c equal to 0.55 +/- 0.10, 0.45 +/- 0.10, and <0.02, respectively.Measurements of ozone in the stratosphere over Antarctica have shown that the springtime ozone column has fallen 40percent from 1960 to 1985.The reaction above could account for a large fraction of the springtime ozon hole reported recently, provided that at least 20 ppt of total inorganic bromine is present, and it may provide a source of chlorine dioxide of sufficient magnitude to explain the recent measurements of this species in the Antarctic stratosphere.