Abstract
The thermal decomposition of ethylene oxide exhibits an induction period, and is inhibited by the addition of inert gases. The assumptions that ethylene oxide mainly isomerizes to acetaldehyde, but at the same time produces free radicals which induce a chain decomposition of the acetaldehyde, and that the recombination of methyl radicals requires a third body lead to expressions for the length of the induction period and the pressure change during a run in qualitative agreement with experiments by Heckert and Mack.

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