Oxydation lente du cétène en phase gazeuse. I. Réaction à "hautes températures"

Abstract

The slow combustion of ketene in the gas phase was studied by the static method in a 30 × 4 cm Vycor cylinder between 280 and 500 °C at pressures above 20 mm Hg. Extending the work of Barnard and Kirschner, we have established the existence of two types of slow combustion of ketene corresponding to two temperature ranges. In this first paper, we describe the kinetic and analytical results obtained in the higher temperature range (380–500 °C). The reaction is autocatalytic and shows a low temperature coefficient corresponding to a few kilocalories per mole. The main products are carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, water, and carbon dioxide. No ethylene was detected. We suggest a chain reaction in which formaldehyde is the intermediate responsible for degenerate branching:[Formula: see text]