Reactions of phenylium ions with gaseous hydrocarbons. 1. methane,ethane, and propane

The reaction of free tritiated phenylium ion, generated from nuclear decay of [l,4-T₂]-benzene in the presence of simple gaseous hydrocarbons RH (R = CH₃, C₂H₅, C₃H₇; partial pressure: 10-100 torr), yields predominantly the corresponding tritiated C₆H₅R products. The effects of gaseous nucleophilic acceptors (NuH = NH₃, CH₃OH) on the reaction with CH₄, were also investigated. Phenylium ion confirms its exceedingly high reactivity even toward pure σ- -type substrates, as well as its considerable site selectivity, demonstrated by the distinct preference for the C-H bonds of the substrate. The stability features of the ionic intermediates from addition of phenylium ion with RH have been evaluated, as well as their fragmentation and isomerization mechanisms. The behaviour of phenylium ion toward simple aliphatic hydrocarbons in the gas phase (10-100 torr) is discussed and compared with previous mechanistic hypotheses from ICR mass spectrometric studies, carried out at much lower pressures (10^-5 torr).     

Liquid–liquid equilibrium data of water with neohexane,methylcyclohexane, tert-butyl methyl ether,n-heptane and vapor–liquid–liquid equilibrium with methane

Liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) data for non-aqueous liquid (neohexane [NH], tert-butyl methyl ether [TBME], methylcyclohexane [MCH], or n-heptane [nC₇]) and water have been measured under atmospheric pressure at 275.5, 283.15, and 298.15 K. It was found that TBME is the most water soluble followed by NH, MCH, and nC₇. As the temperature increased, the solubility of the non-aqueous liquids (NALs) in water decreased. The solubility of water in the non-aqueous liquid was found to increase in the following order: MCH < nC₇ < NH < TBME. It was found to increase with increasing temperature. In addition, vapour–liquid–liquid equilibrium (VLLE) data for the above binary systems with methane were measured at 275.5 K and at 120, 1000, and 2000 kPa. It was found that the vapour composition of water and NALs decreased as the pressure increased. The water content in the non-aqueous phase was not a strong function of pressure. The concentration of methane in the non-aqueous phase increased as the pressure increased. Furthermore, the concentration of the methane and NALs in the water phase increased proportionally with pressure. The solubility of methane in water followed Henry's law. It is noted that the measurements were completed prior to the onset of hydrate nucleation.     

Solubilization of methane,ethane, propane andn-butane in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecylsulfate

The solubilities of methane, ethane, propane, and n-butane were measured in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecylsulfate (NaDS) (0–0.1M) from 15 to 27°C. From these measurements the standard Gibbs energies, entropies, and enthalpies for the process of transferring the solute molecules from the gaseous phase into the solutions were calculated. An approximate relationship was found relating the volume fraction of the micelles to NaDS concentration.     

Sorption of butane, propane, ethane, methane, and carbon dioxide on asphaltene

Isotherms of sorption of butane, propane, ethane, methane, and carbon dioxide on an asphaltene sample of known elemental composition were measured. The effect of the pressure and temperature on the shape the sorption isotherms for all the adsorption systems studied was examined. The values of the initial heat of sorption were determined and compared to the energies of interaction of the molecules with asphaltene. The results obtained suggest that asphaltene is a swellable amorphous sorbent.     

Intermediate absorption spectra of electrons in pulse irradiated,low water KOH hydrate,at room temperature

Pulse radiolysis in which emission of light is measured (?erenkov light self-absorption method) allowed us to obtain transient spectra and kinetics from systems of low transparency. Potassium hydroxide containing stoichiometrically less than one molecule of H₂O per one KOH shows an intermediate trapped electron spectrum at room temperature with a peak at 540 ± 5 nm, a half width of 155 nm, lasting for a few microseconds. This is the first system of such low concentration of water in which electron spectrum is still well developed.     

Measurements of methane hydrate equilibrium in systems inhibited with NaCl and methanol

Natural gas hydrates are ice-like inclusion compounds that form at high pressures and low temperatures in the presence of water and light hydrocarbons. Hydrate formation conditions are favorable in gas and oil pipelines, and their formation threatens gas and oil production. Thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors (THIs) are chemicals (e.g., methanol, monoethylene glycol) deployed in gas pipelines to depress the equilibrium temperature required for hydrate formation. This work presents a novel application of a stepwise differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurement to accurately determine the methane hydrate phase boundary in the presence of THIs. The scheme is first validated on a model (ice + salt water) system, and then generalized to measure hydrate equilibrium temperatures for pure systems and 0.035 mass fraction NaCl solutions diluted to 0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20 mass fraction methanol. The hydrate equilibrium temperatures are measured at methane pressures from (7.0 to 20.0) MPa. The measured equilibrium temperatures are compared to values computed by the predictive hydrate equilibrium tool CSMGem.     

Solubility measurement of methane in aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate at ambient temperature and near hydrate conditions

Solubility data of methane in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with different concentrations were measured at ambient temperature and near hydrate conditions. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the number of methane molecules dissolved in each micelle of the methane + water + SDS system were calculated and compared with those of the ethylene + water + SDS system. The results demonstrated that the micelles could be formed in the SDS concentration range where an efficient promotion effect on hydrate formation was previously reported; the micelle solubilization to methane molecules was remarkable near hydrate conditions, and the ethylene molecules could be solubilized in micelles in preference to methane molecules.     

Sorption of methane,ethane, propane,butane, carbon dioxide,and nitrogen on kerogen

Sorption isotherms of nitrogen, methane (in the pressure range of 0.1–40 MPa), ethane (0.1–3.7MPa), propane (0.01–1 MPa), butane (0.01–0.2 MPa), and carbon dioxide (0.1–6 MPa) are measured on two adsorbents with kerogen contents of 16 and 75% at temperatures of 303, 323, 343 K. Adsorption volumes are calculated for all adsorption systems using two independent methods. The BET technique is used to determine the surface area values of the two adsorbents on the basis of sorption data for ethane, propane, butane, and carbon dioxide. The initial and isosteric adheat of sorption values are calculated on the basis of sorption isotherms of ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide measured at three temperatures. It is found from comparing the dependences of isosteric heat of sorption on the two adsorbents that molecules of the above gases diffuse into its bulk (adsorbent 2) in addition to sorbing on the outside surface formed by kerogen molecules, while sorption of the same gases on the rock (adsorbent 1) is similar to sorption on a smooth hard adsorbent surface.     

A reevaluation of low temperature experimental rate data for the reactions of O atoms with methane,ethane, and neopentane

The experimental data for the reactions of oxygen atoms with methane, ethane, and neopentane at temperatures below ca. 600 K have been reexamined. In the case of CH₄ and C₂H₆ reactions, detailed computer models have been assembled to test the assumptions regarding stoichiometries that were made in the original studies in order to derive elementary rate coefficients from the experimentally observed reaction rates. It was found in both cases that the measurements are especially sensitive to secondary reactions not taken into account and impurities in the reagent alkane. Because the original reports did not include sufficient experimental details, it is not now possible to correct their results quantitatively. However, it appears, qualitatively, that the values for the O + CH₄ and O + C₂H₆ rate coefficients were overestimated by factors of approximately 2 to 3 in the 250–400 K temperature range, with the error increasing as T decreases. Although the experimental results for the O + neopentane reaction are not as sensitive to the same kinds of complications, a comparison of the low-temperature measurements with those for the O + ethane reaction suggests that the previously recommended rate coefficients, based on the data of Herron and Huie, are probably also too high by a factor of 2 to 3.     

Kinetic of hydrate formation of propane and its mixture with methane in a circulating flow reactor

Kinetics of hydrate formation for propane and its mixture with 73% methane have been studied experimentally and theoretically at pressure up to 2 MPa and temperature up to 277.65 K in a 10 m circulating flow reactor. A mathematical model has been developed for the process of hydrate formation based on crystallization, mass transfer and thermodynamics concepts. The amounts of gas consumptions due to hydrate formation are measured experimentally and predicted by the model. The agreement between the experimental measured gas consumptions and predicted values by the mathematical model are very good and the average deviation errors in the prediction of gas consumption are less than 10%.     

Gas hydrate nucleation and cage formation at a water/methane interface

Nucleation of gas hydrates remains a poorly understood phenomenon, despite its importance as a critical step in understanding the performance and mode of action of low dosage hydrate inhibitors. We present here a detailed analysis of the structural and mechanistic processes by which gas hydrates nucleate in a molecular dynamics simulation of dissolved methane at a methane/water interface. It was found that hydrate initially nucleates into a phase consistent with none of the common bulk crystal structures, but containing structural units of all of them. The process of water cage formation has been found to correlate strongly with the collective arrangement of methane molecules.     

Computation of the properties of liquid neon, methane, and gas helium at low temperature by the Feynman-Hibbs approach

The properties of liquid methane, liquid neon, and gas helium are calculated at low temperatures over a large range of pressure from the classical molecular-dynamics simulations. The molecular interactions are represented by the Lennard-Jones pair potentials supplemented by quantum corrections following the Feynman-Hibbs approach. The equations of state, diffusion, and shear viscosity coefficients are determined for neon at 45 K, helium at 80 K, and methane at 110 K. A comparison is made with the existing experimental data and for thermodynamical quantities, with results computed from quantum numerical simulations when they are available. The theoretical variation of the viscosity coefficient with pressure is in good agreement with the experimental data when the quantum corrections are taken into account, thus reducing considerably the 60% discrepancy between the simulations and experiments in the absence of these corrections.     

Spectroscopic calculation of CH bond dissociation energy in the series of chloro derivatives of methane, ethane, and propane

The bond-dissociation energy of CH bonds in chloro derivatives of methane, ethane, and propane has been determined by spectroscopic and quantum chemical methods. Spectroscopic values for CH bond dissociation energy were computed, basing on fundamental absorption bands in the anharmonic approximation, by the variational method with the use of the Morse anharmonic basis. Quantum chemical computations were performed using the basis 6-311G(3df, 3pd)/B3LYP. There are discussed the obtained regularities of changes in the bond dissociation energy when the structure of a molecule is changed.     

Gas hydrates of methane, ethane, propane, and carbon dioxide in the presence of single NaCl, KCl, and CaCl2 aqueous solutions: Experimental measurements and predictions of dissociation conditions

Experimental dissociation data for methane, ethane, propane, and carbon dioxide simple hydrates in the presence of NaCl, KCl, and CaCl₂ aqueous solutions with different concentrations of single salt are reported in this communication. The experimental data were generated using a reliable isochoric technique. Some of the experimental hydrate dissociation data measured in this study are compared with some selected experimental data from the literature and the agreements are generally found acceptable, which is a guarantee for the reliability of our experimental technique and the data generated here. All the experimental data are finally compared with the predictions of a general correlation and a thermodynamic model and good agreements between the experimental and predicted data are generally observed.     

Adsorption isotherms and Sips models of nitrogen,methane, ethane,and propane on commercial activated carbons and polyvinylidene chloride

In this paper we present the measured isotherms of nitrogen, methane, ethane, and propane on three carbons: Norit RB2, Chemviron AP 4-60, and highly activated Saran. The measurements are taken at temperatures between 300 and 400 K, in 20 K steps. The measured data is fitted to the Sips adsorption model, where the Sips parameters are determined by a linearization method. The Sips parameters are further adjusted to realize a logic dependence on temperature and the parameter characteristics are discussed. Subsequently, the Sips model is modified to incorporate the temperature dependence. Including the temperature dependence results in a slightly higher error relative to the experimental results (typically 10 % as compared to 6 %). The immediate research product is a convenient expression for every adsorbate-adsorbent system which is discussed in this paper, for calculating the adsorption concentration as a function of temperature and pressure. A more general research product is a better understanding of the Sips parameter characteristics that should help in developing future adsorbents on demand.     

Pressure effect in hydrogen isotope recombination reactions in liquid helium at cryogenic temperature

The behavior of recombinations of H+H→H₂, H+T→HT and T+T→T₂ in liquid helium at cryogenic temperature of 1.6 K was investigated under pressurized condition using radiochemical methods. It was found that the isotope ratios of H₂, HT and T₂ were changed with the pressure. The changes will contribute to the bubble formation, chemical potential and the effective masses of H and T. This work is a preliminary information to carry out chemical reactions in liquid helium.     

A microporous metal-organic framework for highly selective separation of acetylene, ethylene, and ethane from methane at room temperature

A novel three‐dimensional microporous metal–organic framework Zn₄L(DMA)₄ ( UTSA‐33 , H₈L=1,2,4,5‐tetra(5‐isophthalic acid)benzene, DMA=N,N′‐dimethylacetamide) with small pores of about 4.8 to 6.5 Å was synthesized and structurally characterized as a non‐interpenetrated (4,8)‐connected network with the flu topology (Schläfli symbol: (4¹²6¹²8⁴)(4⁶)₂). The activated UTSA‐33 a exhibits highly selective separation of acetylene, ethylene, and ethane from methane with the adsorption selectivities of 12 to 20 at 296 K, which has been established exclusively by the sorption isotherms and simulated breakthrough experiments, thus methane can be readily separated from their binary and even ternary mixtures at room temperature.     

Phase equilibrium measurements and thermodynamic modeling of methane alcohol systems at ambient temperature

The (vapor + liquid) equilibrium data for binary systems of (methane + methanol), (methane + ethanol), and (methane + 1-propanol) at ambient temperature over a wide range of pressures, (1 to 8) MPa, were measured using a designed pressure–volume–temperature (PVT) apparatus. The phase composition and saturated density of liquid phase were measured for each pressure. The density of pure methanol, ethanol and 1-propanol was also measured at ambient temperature over a wide range of pressure (1 to 10) MPa. The experimental (vapor + liquid) equilibrium data were compared with the modeling results obtained using the Peng–Robinson and Soave–Redlich–Kwong equations of state. To improve the predictions, the binary interaction parameters were adjusted and the volume translation technique was applied. Both equations of state were found to be capable of describing the phase equilibria of these systems over the range of studied conditions. The Soave–Redlich–Kwong equation of state gave better predictions of saturated liquid densities than Peng–Robinson equation of state.     

Experimental investigation on the dissociation conditions of methane hydrate in the presence of imidazolium-based ionic liquids

In this work, the performance of nine ionic liquids (ILs) as thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors is investigated. The dissociation temperature is determined for methane gas hydrates using a high pressure micro deferential scanning calorimeter between (3.6 and 11.2) MPa. All the aqueous IL solutions are studied at a mass fraction of 0.10. The performance of the two best ILs is further investigated at various concentrations. Electrical conductivity and pH of these aqueous IL solutions (0.10 mass fraction) are also measured. The enthalpy of gas hydrate dissociation is calculated by the Clausius–Clapeyron equation. It is found that the ILs shift the methane hydrate (liquid + vapour) equilibrium curve (HLVE) to lower temperature and higher pressure. Our results indicate 1-(2-hydroxyethyl) 3-methylimidazolium chloride is the best among the ILs studied as a thermodynamic hydrate inhibitor. A statistical analysis reveals there is a moderate correlation between electrical conductivity and the efficiency of the IL as a gas hydrate inhibitor. The average enthalpies of methane hydrate dissociation in the presence of these ILs are found to be in the range of (57.0 to 59.1) kJ ⋅ mol⁻¹. There is no significant difference between the dissociation enthalpy of methane hydrate either in the presence or in absence of ILs.