Reaction of excited iodine atoms with methyl iodide: Rate constant determinations

The rate constant for the reaction I(2P1/2) + CH3I → I2 + CH3 has been reevaluated taking into account both collisional deactivation of excited iodine atoms and loss of I2 by I2 + CH3 → I + CH3I. The reevaluation is based upon data obtained (R. T. Meyer), J. Chem. Phys., 46, 4146 (1967) from the flash photolysis of CH3I using time‐resolved mass spectrometry to measure the rate of I2 formation. Computer simulations of the complete kinetic system and a closed‐form solution of a simplified set of the differential equations yielded a value of 6(± 4) × 106 1./mole‐sec for the excited iodine atom reaction in the temperature region of 316 to 447 K. A slight temperature dependence was observed, but an activation energy could not be evaluated quantitatively due to the small temperature range studied. An upper limit for the collisional deactivation of I(2P1/2) with CH3I was also determined (2.4 × 107 1./mole‐sec).