Vassileios C. Papadimitriou

Rate coefficients, k 1 , for the gas‐phase OH radical reaction with the heterocyclic ether C 4 H 4 O (1,4‐epoxybuta‐1,3‐diene, furan) were measured over the temperature range 273–353 K at 760 Torr (syn. air). Experiments were performed using: (i) the photochemical smog chamber THALAMOS (thermally regulated atmospheric simulation chamber, IMT NE, Douai‐France) equipped with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT‐MS) detection methods and (ii) a photochemical reactor coupled with FTIR spectroscopy (PCR, University of Crete, Greece). k 1 (273–353 K) was measured using a relative rate (RR) method, in which the loss of furan was measured relative to the loss of reference compounds with well‐established OH reaction rate coefficients. k 1 (273–353 K) was found to be well represented by the Arrhenius expression (1.30 ± 0.12) × 10 −11 exp[(336 ± 20)/T] cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 , with k 1 (296 K) measured to be (4.07 ± 0.32) × 10 −11 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 . The k 1 (296 K) and pre‐exponential quoted error limits are 2σ and include estimated systematic errors in the reference rate coefficients. The observed negative temperature dependence is consistent with a reaction mechanism involving the OH radical association to a furan double bond. Quantum mechanical molecular calculations show that OH addition to the α ‐carbon (Δ H r (296 K) = −121.5 kJ mol −1 ) is thermochemically favored over the β ‐carbon (Δ H r (296 K) = −52.9 kJ mol −1 ) addition. The OH‐furan adduct was found to be stable over the temperature range of the present measurements. Maleic anhydride (C 4 H 2 O 3 ) was identified as a minor reaction product, 3% lower‐limit yield, demonstrating a non‐ring‐opening active reaction channel. The present results are critically compared with results from previous studies of the OH + furan reaction rate coefficient. The infrared spectrum of furan was measured as part of this study and its estimated climate metrics are reported.