Very-low-pressure pyrolysis of N-methyl aniline and N,N-dimethyl aniline. Enthalpy of formation of the anilino and N-methyl anilino radicals

The kinetics of the thermal unimolecular decompositions of N-methyl aniline and N,N-dimethyl aniline into anilino and N-methyl anilino radicals, respectively, have been studied under very low-pressure conditions. The enthalpies of formation of both radicals, ΔH°_f,298°K(Ph?H,g) = 55.1 and ΔH°_f,298°K(Ph?Me,g) = 53.2 kcal/mol, which have been derived from the experimental data, lead to BDE(PhNH-H) = 86.4 ± 2, BDEPhN(Me)-H] = 84.9 ± 2 kcal/mol and to a value of 16.4 kcal/mol for the stabilization energy of the PhNH radical (relative to MeNH). These results are discussed in connection with earlier work. At high temperatures, the anilino radical loses HNC and forms the very stable cyclopentadienyl radical, a decomposition comparable to that of the phenoxy radical.