The Mercury (3P1) Photo-Sensitized Reaction of Ethane at High Temperatures

Abstract

The mercury photo‐sensitized decomposition of ethane has been carried out with particular emphasis on the high temperature reaction. Evidence is given that under these experimental conditions the ethyl radical becomes unstable around 400°C. An activation energy of 39.5 kcal is assigned to the reaction $${\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_5={\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_4+\mathrm{H}$$ on the basis of the proposed mechanism.