pentoxide 38.0, for acetone 41.4, and for diethyl ether 32.9, all being of approximately the same order. From a composite curve of the present authors' data on n-amyl mercaptan, taking values for K of from 30-150 seconds, a coefficient of 5.08 is obtained for the range 425-475" C., which gives 1.384 for 10" C. intervals, a heat of activation of 33,800 calories, and E/RT at 24.6.Should it be necessary to invoke chain reactions to explain the speed of such unimolecular reactions, the thermal decomposition of mercaptans may be formulated as follows:The assumption is made of scission into free radicals.The recombination of these free radicals then becomes statistically very improbable. Equation ll however, is only a trigger reaction, and Equations 2 and 3 constitute a plausible chain thereafter. The following may also be written: Equation 4 is a companion reaction to Equation 1 and would be evinced by a small yield of saturated hydrocarbon. Otherwise the chain goes on as before,
AcknowledgmentThe authors wish to acknowledge the cooperation of C. E.Anding, Jr., in the development of the refinements of the analytical determinations of mercaptans and the helpful criticism of J. B. Hill and L. M. Henderson.
Literature Cited(1)