The reaction of cyclopentyl radicals with carbon tetrachloride

The photolysis of azocyclopentane in the presence of cyclopentane–carbon tetrachloride mixtures has been investigated in the gas phase. Product analysis data have been used to determine the Arrhenius parameters for the reactions The rate data for chlorine atom abstraction from CCl₄ by the cyclopentyl radical were compared with available data for other alkyl radicals in both the gas and the solution phases. The results indicate that the rate constant for chlorine atom abstraction in the gas phase is fairly insensitive to the nature of the attacking alkyl radical and that the activation energy for a secondary radical is about 4 kcal/mol higher than the corresponding reaction in the solution phase.