Stratospheric positive ion chemistry of formaldehyde and methanol

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Abstract
The reactions of H3O+·nH2O ions with CH2O and CH3OH have been studied in flowing afterglow and flow drift reaction systems. Hydrated protonated formaldehyde, CH2OH+·nH2O, reacts with H2O to form H3O+ hydrates and CH2O for small n. Therefore protonated formaldehyde ions are not expected to have significant atmospheric concentrations. Methanol reacts rapidly with H3O+ ·nH2O ions for n = 0, 1, 2, and 3. The absence of protonated methanol ions in the atmosphere above 40 km, where H3O+ ·nH2O (n = 0, 1, 2, and 3) are observed to be the dominant ions, yields a useful upper limit on the atmospheric concentration of methanol.

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