Further Shock Tube Kinetic Studies of Monomethylamine.

The pyrolytic decomposition of monomethylamine was studied as a first step toward modeling the route by which NOx pollutants are formed from nitrogen rich compounds such as coal and shale oil. The decomposition of dilute mixtures of monomethylamine in argon was accomplished using shock tube techniques. Kinetic measurements for the decomposition occurring behind the reflected shock were made by means of infrared measurements. Emissions at 3.375 micrometers due to monomethylamine and 2.886 micrometers due to ammonia were observed. The total gas concentration behind the reflected shock ranged from 15.32 to 114.7 micromolescc. The temperature range was 1275 to 2400 K and the total pressure ranged from 1 to 10 atmospheres. The values for the Arrhenius parameters for the decomposition of monomethylamine and the formation of ammonia were determined using a least squares analysis. The high pressure Arrhenius expression for the decomposition is k 10 to the power 10.84 times exp-48,150RT. It was discovered that the rate of ammonia formation was one-half the rate of monomethylamine decomposition. The most probable reaction mechanism was determined to be C-N bond scissure followed by a radical chain to produce ammonia, methane, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen. Author