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The mechanism of the reversible reaction: 2C 2 H 2 ⇌ vinyl acetylene and the pyrolysis of butadiene
Author(s) -
Benson Sidney W.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
international journal of chemical kinetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.341
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1097-4601
pISSN - 0538-8066
DOI - 10.1002/kin.550210403
Subject(s) - acetylene , chemistry , ethylene , pyrolysis , photochemistry , reaction mechanism , benzene , polymerization , decomposition , computational chemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , polymer
It is shown that kinetic data on the polymerization of acetylene to vinyl acetylene and benzene can be reconciled with the formation of a 1,4 biradical which can isomerize by a 1‐3, H‐atom shift to the molecular product. Since the biradicals have a negligibly small life‐time in the system the overall process appears to be a concerted bimolecular reaction. The labile isomer CH 2 C: which had been suggested as being the reactive intermediate, is argued on energy considerations not to be a plausible intermediate. Data on the reverse pyrolysis of vinyl acetylene to acetylene are consistent with the model. Extending the model to butadiene explains the observed molecular nature of its decomposition to ethylene and acetylene. Reactions of other oligomers of acetylene are discussed.