The oxidation of iso butene catalyzed by hydrogen bromide

Abstract
The oxidation of iso butene catalyzed by hydrogen bromide in a static system between 100 and 200 °C has been investigated. In a boric oxide coated vessel below about 170 °C the pressure decreased continually during the reaction, the rate accelerating rapidly to a maximum and then falling gradually and the main products being BrCH 2 .C(CH 3 ) 2 .OOH and a diperoxide. The reaction ceased after only a small proportion of the olefin was oxidized owing to the HBr being used up. At 145 °C ρ max. ∝ [C 4 H 8 ] 0.35 [O 2 ] 0.5 [HBr] 1.76 . Added inert gas or packing the vessel had little effect on the rate, but the reaction was accelerated by added bromine, t .-butyl hydroperoxide and di- t .-butylperoxide and retarded by added alcohols. At 195 °C the pressure decreased to a minimum and then rose, most of the iso butene being now oxidized and other products, CH 2 =C(CH 3 )CH 2 OOH, methacrolein, acetone, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water being formed in appreciable yields. It is suggested that autocatalysis is due to the reaction of a small proportion of the hydroperoxides produced with HBr to give radicals, and that the main chain carriers are bromine atoms and peroxy radicals, the former either adding to the double bond of the olefin or at the higher temperatures abstracting hydrogen from a methyl group and the latter abstracting hydrogen from HBr to give the hydroperoxides, adding to the double bond of iso butene to give eventually diperoxides or at the higher temperatures decomposing.