title: The products of the thermal decomposition of CH3CHO.
abstract: We have used a heated 2 cm × 1 mm SiC microtubular (μtubular) reactor to decompose acetaldehyde: CH(3)CHO + Δ → products. Thermal decomposition is followed at pressures of 75-150 Torr and at temperatures up to 1675 K, conditions that correspond to residence times of roughly 50-100 μs in the μtubular reactor. The acetaldehyde decomposition products are identified by two independent techniques: vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectroscopy (PIMS) and infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy after isolation in a cryogenic matrix. Besides CH(3)CHO, we have studied three isotopologues, CH(3)CDO, CD(3)CHO, and CD(3)CDO. We have identified the thermal decomposition products CH(3) (PIMS), CO (IR, PIMS), H (PIMS), H(2) (PIMS), CH(2)CO (IR, PIMS), CH(2)=CHOH (IR, PIMS), H(2)O (IR, PIMS), and HC≡CH (IR, PIMS). Plausible evidence has been found to support the idea that there are at least three different thermal decomposition pathways for CH(3)CHO; namely, radical decomposition: CH(3)CHO + Δ → CH(3) + [HCO] → CH(3) + H + CO; elimination: CH(3)CHO + Δ → H(2) + CH(2)=C=O; isomerization∕elimination: CH(3)CHO + Δ → [CH(2)=CH-OH] → HC≡CH + H(2)O. An interesting result is that both PIMS and IR spectroscopy show compelling evidence for the participation of vinylidene, CH(2)=C:, as an intermediate in the decomposition of vinyl alcohol: CH(2)=CH-OH + Δ → [CH(2)=C:] + H(2)O → HC≡CH + H(2)O.
authors: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0215, USA.
authors: AnGayle
authors: A
authors: Vasiliou
authors: Krzysztof M
authors: KM
authors: Piech
authors: Xu
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Mark R
authors: MR
authors: Nimlos
authors: Musahid
authors: M
authors: Ahmed
authors: Amir
authors: A
authors: Golan
authors: Oleg
authors: O
authors: Kostko
authors: David L
authors: DL
authors: Osborn
authors: John W
authors: JW
authors: Daily
authors: John F
authors: JF
authors: Stanton
authors: G Barney
authors: GB
authors: Ellison