Alkyl nitrate RONO

Some fraction of the RO. radical pool, usually 10% or less, produce alkyl nitrate, RONO., upon reaction with NO by 5.59b. This termination step removes both a radical and a molecule of NO,. About 8% of the RO. radicals formed from the OH-/i-butane reaction will lead to nitrate when reacting with NO. As noted in Section 5.8.1, this percentage increases with the size of the hydrocarbon molecule, reaching about 33% for n-octane. The organic components of RONO. can react with OH to continue the VOC photooxidation cycle, although the possibility of re-releasing NO, as a result of these reactions is uncertain at present. 

Alkyl nitrates. A convenient preparation of RONO2 free of RONO uses KNO3 and boron trifluoride hydrate as nitrating agent in CH2CI2. 

One of the possible causes of the development of an oxidative course in the nitration lies in the thermal decomposition of nitrocompounds and alkyl nitrites [4]. RONO decomposes between 300 °C and 500 °C. For instance, ethylnitrite produces a free... 

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