CO2 formation in quiescent clouds : an experimental study of the CO + OH pathway

Noble, J. A. and Dulieu, F. and Congiu, E. and Fraser, H. J. (2011) CO2 formation in quiescent clouds : an experimental study of the CO + OH pathway. Astrophysical Journal, 735 (2). 121. ISSN 1538-4357 (https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/735/2/121)

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Abstract

The formation of CO2 in quiescent regions of molecular clouds is not yet fully understood, despite CO2 having an abundance of around 10%-34% H2O. We present a study of the formation of CO2 via the nonenergetic route CO + OH on nonporous H2O and amorphous silicate surfaces. Our results are in the form of temperature-programmed desorption spectra of CO2 produced via two experimental routes: O-2 + CO + H and O-3 + CO + H. The maximum yield of CO2 is around 8% with respect to the starting quantity of CO, suggesting a barrier to CO + OH. The rate of reaction, based on modeling results, is 24 times slower than O-2 + H. Our model suggests that competition between CO2 formation via CO + OH and other surface reactions of OH is a key factor in the low yields of CO2 obtained experimentally, with relative reaction rates of k(CO+H) << k(CO+OH) < k(H2O2+H) < k(OH+H), k(O2+H). Astrophysically, the presence of CO2 in low AV regions of molecular clouds could be explained by the reaction CO + OH occurring concurrently with the formation of H2O via the route OH + H.

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