Influence of Structure on Gaseous Products from C11 Recoil Reactions in C6 Hydrocarbons

Abstract

Results are presented on the yields of gaseous products resulting from recoil reactions of C¹¹ in various C₆ hydrocarbons: benzene, n‐hexane, 2‐methylpentane, and 2,2‐dimethylbutane. The C¹¹ was produced by the C¹² (γ, n)C¹¹ reaction in the target molecule. The radiation time and dose were varied, and iodine was added as a scavenger. Comparison was made with similar results on cyclohexane. In all cases, acetylene is the most abundant product, but as branching in the molecule increases, other products, principally ethylene and ethane, become increasingly important. The results are in agreement with a mechanism involving the insertion of an energetic C¹¹ or C¹¹H group into a C–H bond, followed by bond rupture in the resulting intermediate.