Pyrolysis of trifluoroacetaldehyde. The formation of trifluoromethane and hexafluoroethane

Abstract

The thermal decomposition of trifluoroacetaldehyde a t temperatures of 471 to 519°C has been studied by measuring the rates of formation of CFIH and C2Fs. It is concluded that the high-pressure reaction mechanism involves a Rice-Herzfeld reaction scheme with firstorder initiation and second-order termination via CF, combination. However, a falloff in reaction rates is observed at pressures below 100 mmHg. The Arrhenius parameters of the three rate constants corresponding to the overall reaction, the initiation reaction, and an abstraction reaction have been evaluated.

What Is the Overall Stoichiometry of a Complex Reaction?

“…Using an elemental-balance method might seem to imply that the number of stoichiometric relationships is governed by the number of elemental-balance equations. This, however, is not the case as may be shown by consideration of the decomposition mechanism of gaseous trifluoroacetaldehyde (10)…”