The thermal decomposition of ozone: Some remarks on the paper by M. Ritchie on the same subject

Recently a paper by M. Ritchie has appeared in these ‘Proceedings’ in which he discusses the thermal decomposition of ozone at pressures ranging between 10 and 100 mm of mercury, and at temperatures between 80 and 100° C. Ritchie has interpreted his results on the assumption that primarily the thermal decomposition of ozone produces one molecule O2 and one atom of oxygen O3 → O2 + O. (1) Secondarily there follows, in the opinion of Ritchie, O + O3 → 2O2 (2) O + O2 + M → O3 + M. (3) Further, it is assumed to be characteristic for this reaction mechanism that no reaction chains occur and that a considerable fraction of the oxygen atoms diffuse on to the wall (at about 20 mm pressure of ozone and 2 mm pressure of oxygen, about 50% of the oxygen atoms are removed by diffusion on to the wall). That the addition of a foreign gas accelerates the rate of decomposition is explained as due to the prevention of the diffusion of the oxygen atoms.