Kinetics of the reaction between dimethyldioxirane and 2-methylbutane

The kinetics of the reaction between dimethyldioxirane and 2-methylbutane in acetone solutions were studied spectrophotometrically at 25 °C. The radical-chain induced decomposition of dioxirane proceeding with the participation of the carbon-centered radicals follows the first-order kinetic law. The reaction is inhibited by dioxygen. In the presence of O₂, the dimethyldioxirane consumption is due to the homolysis of the O−O bond (at a rate constant of 6.3·10⁻⁴ s⁻¹) followed by attack of the C−H bond of 2-methylbutane by the biradical formed. The rate constant of the reaction between the alkyl radical and dimethyldioxirane was estimated. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1785–1788, October, 1997.