Tetrachloroethylene as an accelerator of propane oxidation
Tetrachloroethylene and the other chloroethylenes accelerate the gas-phase oxidation of propane in the `low-temperature ’ region, the relation of pressure change to reactant consumption and final product formation being not significantly modified in the catalyzed reaction. The value of the maximum rate in the presence of tetrachloroethylene is given fairly closely by the expression (ρmax.) [C 2 Cl 4 ] / (ρmax.) 0 = 1 + constant x [C 2 Cl 4 ]. The form of this differs from th at found in the chloroform-catalyzed reaction, (ρmax.) [CHCl 3 ] / (ρmax.) 0 = 1 + constant x [CHCl 3 ]/[ Pr H], and suggests th at the key steps are R O · 2 +CCl 2 = CCl 2 ⇌ ROOCCl 2 CCl · 2 R OOCCl 2 CCl · 2 + R H → Cl + ... A slow formation of hydrogen chloride occurs during reaction. A simple chain mechanism approximately reproduces the experimental kinetic formula. Some results for trichloroethylene indicate a type of behaviour intermediate between the chloroform- and tetrachloroethylene-catalyzed reactions.