Positive-Ion Chemistry: High Yields of Heavy Hydrocarbons from Solid Methane by Ionizing Radiation
- 22 May 1964
- journal article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 144 (3621) , 991-992
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.144.3621.991
Abstract
At 77°K solid methane is polymerized rapidly and efficiently to heavy hydrocarbons by cobalt-60 gamma rays. The product is a viscous oil consisting mainly of saturated and highly branched hydrocarbons containing an average of about 20 carbon atoms per molecule. This would seem to be evidence for positive-ion chemical reactions in the solid state analogous to those previously reported to occur in the gaseous state at pressures above 0.01 mm-Hg. It would thus appear that the solar ionizing ultraviolet radiation (about 1 erg cm -2 sec -1 at the earth) must polymerize methane at an appreciable rate under many likely conditions.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Reactions of Gaseous Ions. XII. High Pressure Mass Spectrometric Study of MethaneJournal of the American Chemical Society, 1963
- SOME ASPECTS OF THE RADIATION CHEMISTRY OF METHANE1The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1963
- Consecutive Ion-molecule Reactions in MethaneJournal of the American Chemical Society, 1962
- Production of High Molecular Weight Products from the Irradiation of Methane with 4-MeV. ElectronsNature, 1961