| Abstract: | The pyrolyses of cyanomethyl t-butyl sulfide and its oxygen homologue have been studied in a stirred-flow system over the temperature range 490–540°C and pressures between 5 and 14 Torr. In both cases, isobutene is formed as product in over 97% yield. Hydrogen sulfide is obtained in about half the amount of isobutene in the pyrolysis of the sulfide. Hydrogen cyanide is formed in the pyrolysis of the ether. The first-order rate coefficients for the consumption of the reactants followed the Arrhenius equations Cyanomethyl t-butyl sulfide:  Cyanomethyl t-butyl ether:  A molecular mechanism involving polar four-centered cyclic transition states is proposed for both reactions, with the CN group stabilizing the partial negative charge developed at the S and O atoms. |
