Nucleophilic character of the tert-butyl radical. Absolute rate constants for the reactions with substituted toluenes

The decay of photochemically generated tert-butyl radicals is studied at 48°C in 11 m- and p-substituted toluenes by time-resolved electron spin resonance spectroscopy. It is governed by the second-order self-termination perturbed by a pseudo-first-order reaction of the radical with the toluenes. The first-order lifetimes yield the rate constants k_A for hydrogen transfer from toluenes to tert-butyl. Substituent effects on the rate constants confirm the nucleophilic character of the radical.     

Reaction Rates of t-Butyl and Pivaloyl Radicals in Solution

The rate constants of the unimolecular decomposition of the pivaloyl radical (k_D) and of the bimolecular self terminations of pivaloyl (k₁) and t-butyl radicals (k₂) in liquid methylcyclopentane are determined by ESR.-spectroscopy: The viscosity dependence of (k₂) is analysed with respect to diffusion control of the reaction. Comparison of (k_D) values of different acyl radicals reveals a strong dependence of the activation energies on radical structure.     

Direct determination of the rate constant of the reaction NO + HO2 → NO2 + OH with the LMR

The rate of the reaction was determined in an isothermal discharge flow reactor with a combined ESR–LMR detection under pseudo-first-order conditions in HO₂. The rate constant was identical in experiments with two different HO₂ sources: F + H₂O₂ and H + O₂ + M. The absolute rate constant at T = 293 K was measured as In the range 2 ≤ p mbar ≤ 17 no pressure dependence for k₁ was found.     

Linear free energy relationships for peroxy radical-phenol reactions. Influence of the para-substituent,the ortho-di-tert-butyl groups and the peroxy radical

Calculations were carried out on several data sets to study the mechanism of hydrogen abstraction from phenols by peroxy radicals: (1) Rate constants, k values, were collected for the reactions of cumyl-, 1-phenylethyl- and tert-butyl-peroxy radicals with ortho-para-substituted phenol inhibitors. The rate constants were recalculated for the same temperature. Solvent effects were neglected because the solvents used were similar in nature. The phenol ortho substituents were characterized by an indicator variable I_tBu accounting for the presence or absence of di-tert-butyl groups. The phenol para substituents were characterized by Charton's σ_I, σ_R, and σ substituent constants. The dependence of log k values on I_tbu, σ_I, σ_R, σ was investigated using stepwise linear regression analysis. The combined data set of 32 reactions gives: and The results suggest that hydrogen abstraction from phenols by peroxy radicals proceeds by an electrophilic mechanism, and that neither the peroxy-radical nor the ortho-di-tert-butyl groups have considerable effect on the rate of reaction (1).     

Effect of substituents in the gas-phase elimination kinetics of β-substituted ethyl acetates

The kinetics of gas-phase elimination of 3-methyl-1-butyl acetate and 3,3-dimethyl-1-butyl acetate into acetic acid and the corresponding substituted butenes have been measured over the temperature range of 360–420°C and the pressure range of 63–250 Torr. The reactions are homogeneous in both clean and seasoned vessels, obey first-order law, and are unimolecular. The temperature dependence of the rate constants is given by the Arrhenius equation 3-methyl-1-butyl acetate: 3,3-dimethyl-1-butyl acetate: The points in a plot of log (k/k₀) of β-alkyl and several β-substituted ethyl acetates against E_s values appear aligned in an approximate linear relationship. These results may be interpreted as a consequence of steric effects, namely, steric accelerations.     

The rate constant for t-C4H9 → H + i-C4H8 and the thermodynamic parameters of t-C4H9

The rate of the reverse reaction of the system has been measured in the range of 584–604 K from a study of the azomethane sensitized pyrolysis of isobutane. Assuming the published value for the rate constant of recombination of t-butyl we obtain Combination with our published data for k₁ permits the evaluation We have modified a previously published structural model of t-butyl by the inclusion of a barrier to free rotation of the methyl groups in order to calculate values of the entropy and enthalpy of t-butyl as a function of temperature. Using standard data for H and for i-C₄H₈ we obtain We have obtained other, independent values of this quantity by a reworking of published data using our new calculations of the entropy and enthalpy of t-butyl. There is substantial agreement between the different values with one exception, namely, that derived from published data on the equilibrium which is significantly lower than the other values. We conclude that the value obtained from the present work and a reworking of published data which involves the use of experimental data on t-butyl recombination is incompatible with the result based on iodination data.     

The gas-phase pyrolysis of alkyl nitrites VI. t-Amyl nitrite

The rate of decomposition of tert-amyl nitrite (t-AmONO) has been studied in the absence (120°–155°C) and presence (160°–190°C) of nitric oxide. In the absence of nitric oxide for low concentrations of tert-amyl nitrite (～10^?4M) and small extents of reaction (～1%), the first-order homogeneous rates of acetone formation are a direct measure of reaction (1) since k_3a ? k₂(NO): The rate of acetone formation is unaffected by the addition of large amounts of carbon tetrafluoride or isobutane (～1 atm) but is completely suppressed by large amounts of nitric oxide (1 atm 120°–155°C). The rate of reaction (1) is given by k₁ = 10^16.3±0.1 10^?40.3±0.1/θ sec^?1. Since (E₁ + RT) and ΔH°₁ are identical, both may be equated with D(t-AmO – NO) = 40.9 ± 0.1 kcal/mol and E₂ = 0 ± 0.1 kcal/mol. The thermochemistry leads to the result that ΔH°_f (t-AmO) = ?26.6 ± 1 kcal/mol. From ΔS°₁ and A₁, k₂ is calculated to be 10^10.5±^0.2 M^?1·sec^?1. Although the addition of nitric oxide completely suppresses acetone formation at lower temperatures, it reappears at higher temperatures. This is a result of reaction (3a) now competing with reaction (2), thus allowing k_3a to be determined. The rate constant for reaction (3a) is given by k_3a = 10^{14.7 ± 0.2} 10^{?14.3 ± 1}/θ sec^?1. There are two possible routes for the decomposition of the tert-amyloxyl radical: The dominating process is (3a). From the result at 160°C that k_3a/k_3b = 80, we arrive at the result k_3b = 10^15.0–18.7/θ sec^?1. In addition to the products accounted for by the radical split (1), methyl-2-but-1-ene and methyl-2-but-2-ene are produced as a result of the six-centre elimination of nitrous acid (5): The ratio k_5a/k_5b was 0.35. Unlike tert-butyl where the rates of the two paths were comparable [(l) and (5)], here the total rate of the elimination process was only 0.5% that of the radical split (1). The reason for this is not clear.     

Pulse radiolysis and fourier transform infrared study of neopentyl peroxy radicals in the gas phase at 297 K

The ultraviolet absorption spectrum of the neopentyl peroxy radical (CH₃)₃CCH₂O₂, and the kinetics and products of its self reaction have been studied in the gas phase at 298 K. Absorption cross sections were quantified over the wavelength range 230–290 nm. The measured cross section at 250 nm was; Errors represent statistical (2σ) together with our estimate of potential systematic errors(15%). The kinetics of the decay of the UV absorption following the generation of the neopentyl peroxy radicals was complicated by the rapid decomposition of the (CH₃)₃CCH₂O radicals formed in channel (4a). By measuring the yield of t-butyl peroxy radicals, the branching ratio k_4a/(k_4a + k_4b) was determined to be 0.39 ± 0.03. The rate constant for the self reaction of neopentyl peroxy radicals was k₄ = (1.07 ± 0.22) × 10^?12 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1. Quoted errors represent 2σ. These results are discussed with respect to the available literature data. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Addition of trichloromethyl radicals to tetrachloroethylene

The gamma-radiation-induced free-radical chain reactions in liquid CCl₄? C₂Cl₄? c? C₆H₁₂ mixtures were studied in the temperature range of 363–448°K. The main products in this system are chloroform, hexachloropropene and chlorocyclohexane. These products are formed via reactions (1)–(5): with G values (molec/100 eV) of the order of magnitude of 10² and 10³ at the lowest and highest temperatures, respectively. Values of k₂/k₁ were determined from the product distribution. In turn, these values gave the following Arrhenius expression for k₂/k₁ (θ = 2.303RT, in kcal/mol): From this result and the previously determined Arrhenius parameters of reaction (1), k₂ is found to be given by .     

Oxidation of S and SO by O2 in high-temperature pyrolysis and photolysis reaction systems

The reaction of S atoms with O₂ was studied behind reflected shock waves applying atomic resonance absorption spectroscopy (ARAS) for concentration measurements of S and O atoms. S atoms were generated either by laser-flash photolysis (LFP) of CS₂ or by the high-temperature pyrolysis of COS, respectively. The concentrations of O₂ in the mixtures ranged between 50 ppm and 400 ppm, and those of the S precursors, CS₂ and COS, between 5 and 25 ppm. The rate coefficient of the reaction was determined from the observed decay of the S absorption signals for temperatures 1220 K ? T ? 3460 K. The measured O-atom concentration profiles in COS/O₂/Ar reaction systems were evaluated, using simplified kinetic mechanism, to verify the given rate coefficient k₅. In experiments with the highest value of the [O₂]/[COS] ratio the measured O-atom concentrations were found to be sensitive to the reaction: The fitting of the calculated O-atom profiles to the measured ones results in mean value of: which is to be valid for the temperature range 2570 K ? T ? 2980 K. A first-order analysis of the observed S absorption decay in LFP shock wave experiments on CS₂/Ar gas mixtures resulted in a rate coefficient of the background reaction (R4): for temperatures 1260 K ? T ? 1820 K. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The self-inhibited pyrolysis of isobutane

The pyrolysis of isobutane was investigated in the ranges of 770° to 855°K and 20 to 150 Torr at up to 4% decomposition. The reaction is homogeneous and strongly self-inhibited. A simple Rice-Herzfeld chain terminated by the recombination of methyl radicals is proposed for the initial, uninhibited reaction. Self-inhibition is due to abstraction of hydrogen atoms from product isobutene giving resonance-stabilized 2-methylallyl radicals which participate in termination reactions. The reaction chains are shown to be long. It is suggested that a previously published rate constant for the initiation reaction (1) is incorrect and the value k₁ = 10^16.8 exp (?81700 cal mol^?1/RT)s^?1 is recommended. The values of the rate constants for the reactions (4i) (4t) (8) are estimated to be and From a recalculation of previously published data on the pyrolysis of isobutane at lower temperatures and higher pressures, the value k_11c, = 10^9.6 cm³ mol^?1 s^?1 is obtained for the rate constant of recombination of t-butyl. A calculation which is independent of any assumed rate constants or thermochemistry shows that the predominant chain termination reaction is the recombination of two methyl radicals in the conditions of the present work and the recombination of two t-butyl radicals in those of our previous study at lower temperatures and higher pressures.     

Kinetic studies of free radical reactions by mass spectrometry. II. The reactions of SO + ClO,SO + OClO and SO + BrO

The rates of several novel elementary reactions involving ClO, BrO and SO free radicals in their ground states were studied in a discharge-flow system at 295 K, using mass spectrometry. The rate constant k₂ was determined from the decay of SO radicals in the presence of excess ClO radicals: The SO + OClO overall reaction has a complex mechanism, with the primary step having a rate constant k₅ equal to (1.9 ± 0.7) × 10^?12 cm³ sec^?1: A lower limit for the rate constant of the rapid reaction of SO radicals with BrO radicals was determined:      

Decomposition of the t-butoxy radical: II. Studies over the temperature range 303—393 K

The near U-V photolysis of t-butyl nitrite has been studied over the temperature range 303–393 K. Under these conditions t-butyl nitrite was shown to be a very clean photochemical source of t-butoxy radicals. This allows a study of the decomposition of the t-butoxy radical to be made over this temperature range (3). (1) Extrapolation of the rate constants k₃ to high pressure and combination with our previous thermal data give the results:      

Kinetics of the oxidation of cyclohexene by thallium(III) acetate

The kinetics of the reaction by which thallium(III) acetate oxidizes cyclohexene in glacial acetic acid medium, has been studied by UV spectrophotometric observation at 30°C. The consumption of thallium(III) acetate follows a second-order rate law exhibiting first-order dependence on each of thallium(III) acetate and cyclohexene; however, the first-order dependence on cyclohexene disappears at high cyclohexene concentrations as pseudo-first-order conditions prevail above 0.2 M cyclohexene. A steady-state model of the following form is proposed: where Tl, Cy, and Com are units of Thallium(III) acetate, cyclohexene, and a reaction complex. The value of k₂ has been evaluated as 0.00027 and (k_?1 + k₂) as 0.0385k₁. For low thallium(III) acetate concentrations the reaction kinetics follow the rate law: where α = the excess concentration of cyclohexene over thallium(III) triacetate. For thallium(III) acetate concentrations above 0.02 M, double salt formation of thallium(III) acetate with product thallium(I) acetate removes thallium(III) acetate from the reaction and a modified rate law is observed. Runge–Kutta numerical solutions to the differential equations provide confirmation that the rate expressions are valid in predicting the observed concentrations of thallium(III) acetate.     

The reaction of hydrogen atoms with 1-butanethiol and thiolane the role of chemically activated 1-butanethiol

The reaction of 1-butanethiol with hydrogen atoms has been studied at temperatures of 295° and 576° K under the pressure of 660 Pa, using a conventional discharge-flow apparatus. The reaction products (besides hydrogen sulfide and methane) under the low conversion range (～10%) consisted mainly of n-butane, 1-butene, and propylene-propane, with the relative yields of 70, 25, and 5% at 295° K and 25, 50, and 10% at 576°K. Analysis of kinetic equations by numerical integration indicates that the following initial steps are consistent with the experimental results: where the following expressions have been derived for k₁ and k₂: The subsequent reaction of the butylthio radical with hydrogen atoms leads to the chemically activated 1-butanethiol which either stabilizes to 1-butanethiol or decomposes to 1-butene and hydrogen sulfide, depending on the experimental conditions. A similar analysis of the data on the thiolane-H system has yielded the following rate parameters for the initial step to form the 4-mercapto-1-butyl radical: .     

Solvent effect on reversible self-termination reactions of aromatic free radicals

Rates and thermodynamic data have been obtained for the reversible self-termination reaction: Involving aromatic 2-(4′dimethylaminophenyl)indandione-1,3-yl (I), 2-(4′diphenylaminophenyl)indandione-1,3-yl (II), and 2,6 di-tert-butyl-4-(β-phthalylvinyl)-phenoxyl (III) radicals in different solvents. The type of solvent does not tangibly affect the 2k₁ of Radical(I), obviously due to a compensation effect. The log(2k₁) versus solvent parameter E_T(30) curves for the recombination of radicals (II) and (III) have been found to be V shaped, the minimum corresponding to chloroform. The intensive solvation of Radical (II) by chloroform converts the initially diffusion-controlled recombination of the radical into an activated reaction. The log (2k_?1) of the dimer of Radical (I) has been found to be a linear function of the Kirkwood parameter (ε - 1)/(2ε + 1), the dissociation rate increasing with the dielectic constant of the solvent. The investigation revealed an isokinetic relationship for the decay of the dimer of Radical (I), an isokinetic temperature β = 408 K and isoequilibrium relationship for the reversible recombination of Radical (I) with β° = 651 K. For Radical (I) dimer decay In(2k_?1) = const + 0.8 In K, where K is the equilibrium constant of this reversible reaction. The transition state of Radical (I) dimer dissociation reaction looks more like a pair of radicals than the initial dimer. The role of specific solvation in radical self-termination reactions is discussed.     

Determination of the gas-phase reactivity of hydroxyl with chlorinated methanes at high temperature: Effects of laser/thermal photochemistry

Atmospheric pressure absolute rate coefficients have been determined for the gas phase reaction of OH radicals with methyl chloride (k₁), methylene chloride (k₂), and chloroform (k₃) over an extended temperature range using a laser photolysis/laser-induced fluorescence technique. The rate coefficients are best described by the following modified Arrhenius equations: Measurements were obtained as a function of excimer photolysis intensity and are compared with previous results and extended to higher temperatures. Photolysis intensities in excess of 12 mJ-cm^?2 were found to measurably increase (up to a factor of 2) the rate coefficients for k₃ between 400–775 K, with the effect increasing with increasing temperature. A similar, yet much smaller (ca. 20–35%) increase was observed for k₂ between 675–955 K. No effect was observed for k₁ at any temperature. Relative absorption coefficient measurements at 193.3 nm indicated that chlorinated methane photolysis increases with both increasing temperature and increasing chlorine substitution. These measurements suggest that reactant photolysis may be responsible for the observed dependence of k₂ and k₃ on photolysis intensity at elevated temperatures. The puzzling and disconcerting discrepancy between previously published high temperature measurements of k₃ and transition state model predictions is reconciled with these latest measurements. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Thermal reaction of HNCO with NO2 at moderate temperatures

The thermal reaction of HNCO with NO₂ has been studied in the temperature range of 623 to 773 K by FTIR spectrometry. Major products measured are CO₂ and NO with a small amount of N₂O. Kinetic modeling of the time resolved concentration profiles of the reactants and products, aided by the thermochemical data of various likely reactive intermediates computed by means of the BAC-MP4 method, allows us to conclude that the reaction is initiated exclusively by a new bimolecular process: with a rate constant, k₁ = 2.5 × 10¹²e^?13,100/T cm³/mols. The well-known bimolecular reaction is the only strong competitive process in this important reactive system throughout the temperature range studied. Kinetic modeling of NO formation and NO₂ decay rates gave rise to values of k₁₀ which were in close agreement with literature data. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Gas-phase ozonolysis of cis- and trans-dichloroethylene

Dichloroethylene (DCE), either cis or trans, was reacted with O₃ at 23°C in both N₂ and O₂ buffered mixtures. Both reactant consumption and product formation were monitored by infrared spectroscopy and, in some cases, O₃ consumption was monitored by ultraviolet absorption. For thoroughly dried mixtures, the initial products were only HCClO and O₂, but geometrical isomerization also occurred. The stoichiometry of the overall reaction always was The HCClO was unstable and disappeared slowly in a first-order reaction which was, at least in part, heterogeneous. The products were CO and HCl so that the stoichiometric reaction was The rate law was complex. The rate was always faster in N₂ than in O₂. In the N₂ buffered reaction, inhibition occurred as the reaction progressed and O₂ was produced. From the reactant and product decay curves, the following rate behavior was established: where high and low concentrations are relative terms for the initial pressure ranges covered ([DCE]₀ = 0.21?78.4 torr, [O₃]₀ = 0.30?6.76 torr). The rate coefficients k₂, k₃, and k₄ were larger for the trans-DCE than the cis-DCE, and for each isomer they were larger in N₂ than in O₂ buffered reactions. The ozonolysis can be explained in terms of the mechanism where R₂ is DCE, RO is HCClO, and RO₂ is HCClO₂. Rate ceofficients are computed. The isomerization is first order in [O₃] and approximately first order in [DCE] for the limited kinetic data we were able to obtain. The isomerization does not appear to be explained by the reverse reactions of reactions (6), (7), and (9). Presumably isomerization occurs through some other route.     

An FTIR product study of the reaction between HCO and NO2

The product distribution of the reaction (1a) $$\rm\longrightarrow OH+NO+CO$$ (1b) $$\rm\longrightarrow HNO+CO_{2}$$ (1c) $$\rm\longrightarrow H+NO+CO_{2}$$ (1d) $$\rm\longrightarrow HCO_{2}+NO$$ (1e) (1f) (1g) was investigated at room temperature in the gas phase in Ar buffer gas at 570 mbar pressure by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Mixtures of NO₂/H₂CO/Ar were photolyzed under stationary conditions using a high‐pressure Hg lamp at λ = 300–340 nm. NO, CO, CO₂, HONO, and H₂O were found as major reaction products. A small amount of N₂O was detected at long reaction times. From the yields of CO and CO₂, branching ratios were found to be (k_1a + k_1b)/k₁ = (0.66 ± 0.10) and (k_1c + k_1d + k_1e)/k₁ = (0.34 ± 0.10). The formation of HONO was attributed to reaction ( 1a ) and/or reaction ( 1c ) followed by the reaction HNO + NO₂ → NO + HONO with a combined branching ratio of (k_1a + k_1c)/k₁ = (0.28 ± 0.10). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 136–145, 2000