Hydrogen abstraction by hydrocarbon radicals. I. Interactions between 1‐phenyl ethyl radicals and 1‐phenyl ethanol as well as benzyl alcohol

Hydrogen abstraction by 1‐phenylethyl radicals (ṘH) from phenylmethyl‐carbinol (HROH) and benzyl alcohol (H 2 R′OH) has been studied in the liquid phase at 120°C. 1‐Phenylethyl radicals have been generated by thermal decomposition of azo ‐ bis ‐1‐phenyl ethane and the formation of ethylbenzene (RH 2 ), acetophenone (RO), and 2,3‐ di ‐phenyl butane (R 2 H 2 ) has been monitored during the reaction. In order to optimize the experimental conditions, a mechanism has been assumed for the various pathways of the disappearance of ṘH and by using estimated rate parameters a presimulation was performed. The relative rate constants obtained are:\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$$ \begin{array}{*{20}c} {\frac{{k_{\rm H} }}{{\sqrt {{\rm 2}k_t } }} = 1.4{\rm } \times {\rm }10^{ - 4} {\rm L}^{1/2} {\rm mol}^{ - 1/2} {\rm s}^{ - 1/2} } & {{\rm for}} & {{\rm HROH}} \\ \end{array} $$\end{document} and\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$$ \begin{array}{*{20}c} {\frac{{k_{\rm H} }}{{\sqrt {{\rm 2}k_t } }} = 1.0{\rm } \times {\rm }10^{ - 4} {\rm L}^{1/2} {\rm mol}^{ - 1/2} {\rm s}^{ - 1/2} } & {{\rm for}} & {{\rm H}_{\rm 2} {\rm R'OH}} \\ \end{array} $$\end{document} where k H refers to the hydrogen abstraction while k t is the combination rate coefficient of the radicals ṘH.