The kinetic theory of the effect of chemical reaction on diffusion of a trace gas

Abstract

Simultaneous diffusion and chemical reaction of a trace gas is studied by means of the Boltzmann–Lorentz kinetic equation. It is assumed that the reaction term is relatively small and can be treated as a perturbation. The procedure is outlined applying the Resibois method for derivation of corrections to the classical result for the diffusion coefficient, as well as to the reaction rate constant. The effect of chemical reaction on diffusion is calculated for the model of hard spheres reacting chemically with a finite activation energy. This influence can be appreciable if the molecular masses of the diffusing gas and the carrier gas are disparate.