The effect of heat conduction on the rate of chemical reaction in dilute gases Original Research Article

Information statistical theory is used to obtain the second-order terms (similar to those analyzed in the Burnett approximation to the solution of the Boltzmann equation) in the expansion of the nonequilibrium velocity distribution function. These terms are used for the evaluation of the effect of the heat flux on the rate of bimolecular chemical reactions. This effect is shown to be important for reactions characterized by high values of the activation energy. However, very large values of the heat flux would be necessary. The results are compared with those obtained earlier from the square terms calculated from the linearized Boltzmann equation and with recent results due to Nettleton.