Electrophilic Addition Reaction of Ethene with Hydrogen Chloride on Cold Molecular Films: Evidence of Ethyl Cationic Intermediate

We studied the initial‐stage mechanism of the electrophilic addition reaction of ethene with HCl by examining the interactions between ethene and HCl on water‐ice and frozen molecular films at temperatures of 80–140 K. Cs⁺ reactive ion scattering (RIS) and low‐energy sputtering (LES) techniques were used to probe the reaction intermediates that were kinetically trapped on the surface, in conjunction with temperature‐programmed desorption (TPD) mass spectrometry to monitor the desorbing species. The reaction initially produced the π complex of HCl and ethene at temperatures below about 93 K and an “ethyl cationic species” at temperatures below about 100 K. The ethyl cationic species was formed via direct proton transfer from the HCl molecule to ethene with the assistance of water solvation, rather than via the interaction of hydronium ions and ethene. At high temperatures, this species dissociated into ethene and hydronium and chloride ions. The reaction did not, however, complete the final transition state on the ice surface to produce ethyl chloride. The observation gives evidence that the electrophilic addition reaction of ethene occurs through an ethyl‐like intermediate with an ionic character.