Mercury-photosensitized decomposition of dimethyl ether. Part I. Mechanism
- 15 November 1967
- journal article
- Published by Canadian Science Publishing in Canadian Journal of Chemistry
- Vol. 45 (22) , 2763-2766
- https://doi.org/10.1139/v67-448
Abstract
The mercury-photosensitized decomposition of dimethyl ether was investigated from 200 to 300 °C and over the pressure range 3 to 600 mm Hg. Measurements were made of the initial rates of formation of the products of reaction, which are CO, H2, C2H6, CH4, CH3OC2H5, and CH3OCH2CH2OCH3. It is concluded that the primary step involves a C—H split; there is no evidence for a primary C—O split. Over the range 200 to 300 °C the methoxymethyl radical, CH3OCH2, decomposed to give formaldehyde and a methyl radical, whereas at 30 °C no decomposition of the CH3OCH2 radical was detected. The mass balance is consistent with the mechanism proposed. The homogeneity of the reaction conditions was examined by varying the concentration of mercury in the reaction vessel.Keywords
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