On the efficiency of hydrogen halides decomposition in low temperature plasma
The comparative study of the dissociation kinetics for hydrogen halides HX (X = F, Cl, Br) under the conditions of low-temperature non-equilibrium plasma was carried out. The effect of electron density on the densities of both original substances and plasma chemical reactions products were established for the typical conditions of glow discharge at low pressures. It was found that the HX (X = F, Cl, Br) dissociation degrees increase with increasing electron density as well as decrease in the consequence of HBr-HCl-HF under one and the same parameters of electron gas. The peculiarities of dissociation kinetics resulted in such effects were determined. These are 1) the negligible impact of bulk atom molecular reactions on the formation/decay kinetics for HF; 2) the principal influence of HCl + H → H<sub>2</sub> + Cl and Cl<sub>2</sub> + H → HCl + Cl reaction on the formation/decay kinetics for HCl; and 3) the principal influence of HBr + H → H<sub>2</sub> + Br and Br<sub>2</sub> + H → HBr + Br reactions on the formation/decay kinetics for HBr. It was suggested that the maximum efficiency of the plasma chemical conversion process may be achieved for HBr.