Theoretical and experimental studies of the diketene system: Product branching decomposition rate constants and energetics of isomers

The kinetics and mechanism for the thermal decomposition of diketene have been studied in the temperature range 510–603 K using highly diluted mixtures with Ar as a diluent. The concentrations of diketene, ketene, and CO₂ were measured by FTIR spectrometry using calibrated standard mixtures. Two reaction channels were identified. The rate constants for the formation of ketene (k₁) and CO₂ (k₂) have been determined and compared with the values predicted by the Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus (RRKM) theory for the branching reaction. The first-order rate constants, k₁ (s⁻¹) = 10^{15.74 ± 0.72} exp(−49.29 (kcal mol⁻¹) (±1.84)/RT) and k₂ (s⁻¹) = 10^{14.65 ± 0.87} exp(−49.01 (kcal mol⁻¹) (±2.22)/RT); the bulk of experimental data agree well with predicted results. The heats of formation of ketene, diketene, cyclobuta-1,3-dione, and cyclobuta-1,2-dione at 298 K computed from the G2M scheme are −11.1, −45.3, −43.6, and −40.3 kcal mol⁻¹, respectively. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 580–590, 2007