Kinetic study of heterogeneous oxygen-exchange reactions and bulk self-diffusion of oxygen

Journal article, 1998

Apparent activation energies are determined for oxygen-isotope exchange reactions between O2, CO, or NO and preoxidized or prereduced CaO surfaces. Oxygen exchange between N16O or C16O and isotope labeled Ca18O surfaces produced an apparent activation energy of 2 kcal/mol. Similar values are obtained for single- isotope-exchange between 18O18O and prereduced Ca16O surfaces. Apparent activation energies of 15−18 kcal/mol are found for single and double exchange between 18O18O and preoxidized Ca16O surfaces, as well as for double exchange between 18O18O and prereduced Ca16O surfaces. The low apparent activation energies are believed to result from adsorbed intermediates, whereas the high values may involve the formation of a singlet O2 transient. It is shown that eventually the self-diffusion of oxygen ions in the bulk becomes the rate-determining step in the isotope-exchange reaction. Apparent activation energies are determined, and the values are found to depend on surface treatment, (i.e., 44 kcal/mol under reducing and 78 kcal/mol under oxidizing conditions). The involvement of oxygen vacancies under reducing conditions is discussed.