Spin trapping and identification of the radicals formed in the photolysis of methane–ammonia–water gaseous mixtures

Abstract

Spin trapping of the gas-phase photoreaction system methane–ammonia–water and the related methylamine–water–oxygen system have been performed using α-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone (PBN). In the former case, methoxyl and aminomethyl radicals were trapped and in the latter, nitromethyl radical was trapped under a higher molar fraction of oxygen and aminomethyl radical was trapped under a lower and zero molar fraction of oxygen. The trapped radicals were identified by comparison of their ESR spectroscopic parameters with those of synthetically-obtained homologues.