THE REACTION OF NITROGEN ATOMS WITH METHANE AND ETHANE

Methane reacted with nitrogen atoms at temperatures above 300°C. to produce hydrogen cyanide. An activation energy of 11 kcal. and a steric factor of 5 × 10 −3 were obtained. The reaction of ethane with nitrogen atoms was studied up to 295°C., with hydrogen cyanide the only product found in measurable amounts. At high temperatures, nitrogen atom consumption was complete in excess ethane, and the hydrogen cyanide production under these conditions, compared with the atom concentration determined by a Wrede gauge, indicated the active species in the nitrogen stream to be only atomic nitrogen. The ethane – nitrogen atom reaction was second order, with an activation energy of 7 ± 1 kcal. and a steric factor between 10 −1 and 10 −3 .