PHOTO-INITIATED REACTIONS OF THIOLS AND OLEFINS: II. THE ADDITION OF METHANETHIOL TO UNCONJUGATED OLEFINS

Abstract

Kinetic studies have been made of the addition of methanethiol to ethylene, propylene, and butene-2. The results obtained are consistent with the mechanism postulated for the isomerization reaction (1). The overall activation energy was found to be negative and could be explained in terms of two competing reactions of the adduct radical: thermal decomposition leading to [Formula: see text] and olefin and dehydrogenation of thiol yielding addition product. Only the ratio of the rate constants for these two reactions could be determined. The method of intermittent illumination was used to evaluate the termination rate constant for the combination of two [Formula: see text] radicals which was found to be (2.5 ± 0.7) × 1010 l mole−1 s−1.