The feasibility of using hydrogen molecular ions, produced in a discharge, for the homogeneous catalysis of Hhyphen;atom recombination in a secondhyphen;order process has been investigated. The catalytic cycle involves H3+and H4+ions and the efficiency of the Hhyphen;atom recombination depends critically upon the stability of the H4+ion complex against unimolecular decomposition. Rate constants for the various elementary reactions have been calculated, and the limiting values of the rate constants for the secondhyphen;order recombination reaction and for the catalytic efficiency have been determined. It is shown that the detrimental loss of ions through electronmdash;ion recombination can be minimized through sequential pulsed ionization. The results obtained indicate that hydrogenhyphen;atom recombination may be catalyzed effectively by molecular ions owing to the large reaction cross section of ionmdash;atom reactions. The possibility of obtaining high catalytic efficiency of Hhyphen;atom recombination with pulsed molecular ions of the type (XnHm)+would seem to warrant some extensive experimental studies.
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