The photolysis and photo-oxidation of simple aliphatic aldehydes in low temperature matrices

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0584-8539(90)80005-J

The photo-oxidation intermediates/end products of ethanal and propanal in oxygen and O2-doped low temperature matrices have been monitored by FTIR detection methods.The results for ethanal showed that the photoprocesses observed in the gas phase are mimicked at 12 K.Furthermore, the involvement of novel compounds such as methyl peroxyformate, which has not previously been identified, can be established and terefore may be of limited importance in the atmosphere.The results obtained in the propanal study were less relevant to atmospheric chemistry mechanisms than those found with ethanal for two reasons: (i) because the matrix "cage-effect" becomes of over-riding importance at 4.2 K, perhaps because of the relative bulk of the ethyl radical compared to the methyl radical; and (ii) because of the u.v. induced photomerization of parent propanal.