Study of the ethane oxidation reaction by the kinetic tracer method

The kinetics of ethane oxidation was studied at 320, 340, 353 and 380°C, mixture composition 2 C₂H₆ + 1 O₂, and total pressure 609 torr. It was found that at 320°C CH₂O and CH₃CHO were branching agents. A series of experiments was conducted on 2C₂H₆ + O₂ oxidation in the presence of 0.7% ¹⁴C-labeled ethylene. The ethylene oxide was found to form only from C₂H₄, formaldehyde formed from C₂H₄ and C₂H₆; and CH₃CHO, C₂H₅OH, and CH₃OH formed only from ethane. The formation rates of C₂H₄, C₂H₄O, and CH₂O were calculated by the kinetic tracer method. At 320°C the fraction of oxygen-containing products formed from C₂H₄ was 16–18%, and at 353 and 380°C it was 30–40%.