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The reaction of butane and oxygen at low oxygen concentrations has been studied in the temperature range 486 to 526°. Complete analysis of the reaction product was accomplished by the method of multiple isothermal distillation supplemented by chemical and spectroscopic tests. The effects of variations of concentration of oxygen from zero to 35 volume per cent, of variation of reaction time, and of Pyrex and KC1 coated surfaces were observed under static and flow conditions. An important result of the study was the observation that the initial reaction product at low oxygen concentrations consists primarily of butene and water, indicating that oxygen acts primarily as a dehydrogenating agent under these conditions.Oxygen is shown to have a pronounced accelerating effect on the thermal cracking of butane; 0.5% of oxygen producing a hundred-fold increase in the rate of decomposition of butane. At oxygen concentrations below about 8%, the reaction products within the limits of sensitivity of the analysis consist only of hydrocarbons and water. The rate of reaction was found to be approximately proportional to the square root of the oxygen concentration and to the three-halves power of the butane concentration. The apparent activation energy of the reaction was found to be 21 kcal./mole.

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