Temperature- and pressure-dependent kinetics of the competing C–O bond fission reactions of dimethoxymethane

Oxymethylene ethers are often considered as promising fuel additives to reduce the emissions of soot and NOx from diesel engines. Dimethoxymethane (DMM) is the smallest member of this class of compounds and therefore particularly suitable to study the reactivity of the characteristic methylenedioxy group (O–CH2–O). In this context, we investigated the pyrolysis of DMM behind reflected shock waves at temperatures between 1100 and 1600 K and nominal pressures of 0.4 and 4.7 bar by monitoring the formation of H atoms with time-resolved atom resonance absorption spectroscopy. Rate coefficients for the C–O bond fission reactions of DMM were inferred from the recorded [H](t) profiles, and a pronounced temperature and pressure dependence of the rate coefficients was found. To rationalize this finding, we characterized the relevant parts of the potential energy surface of DMM by performing quantum chemical calculations at the CCSD(F12*)(T*)/cc-pVQZ-F12//B2PLYP-D3/def2-TZVPP level of theory. On the basis of the results, a two-channel master equation accounting for the two different C–O bond-fission reactions of DMM was set up and solved. Specific rate coefficients were calculated from the simplified Statistical Adiabatic Channel Model. The branching between the two reaction channels was modeled, and the CH3OCH2O + CH3 product channel was found to be clearly dominating. A Troe parameterization for the pressure dependence of this channel was derived. To enable implementation of both channels into kinetic mechanisms for combustion modeling, ‘log p’ parameterizations of the rate coefficients for both reaction channels are also given and were implemented into a literature mechanism for DMM oxidation. With this slightly modified mechanism, the results of our experiments could be adequately modeled. The role of competing molecular (i.e. nonradical) decomposition channels of DMM was also quantum-chemically checked, but no indications for such channels could be found.