Flash Photolysis of Propane

The flash photolysis of propane has been studied at an average wavelength of 1590 Å and a pressure of 50 torr, with absorbed light intensities between 2 and 15×10²¹ photons/liter·sec. The primary processes, $$\begin{array}{c}{\mathrm{C}}_3{\mathrm{H}}_8+\mathrm{h}\mathrm{\nu \to }{\mathrm{H}}_2+{\mathrm{C}}_3{\mathrm{H}}_6\text{(~94\%),}\\ {\mathrm{C}}_3{\mathrm{H}}_8+\mathrm{h}\mathrm{\nu \to }{\mathrm{CH}}_4+{\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_4\text{\hspace{0.17em}(~6\%),}\end{array}$$ appear to be virtually the only reactions occurring at low conversion. With increasing conversion, photolysis of propylene becomes important, yielding a variety of secondary products. These observations are compared with earlier studies made at low intensity and shorter wavelengths.