A concerted hydrogen-transfer reaction in the gas phase

The kinetics of the thermal reaction of mixtures of ethylene and cyclopentene has been examined for the occurrence of a concerted hydrogen-transfer reaction, . The main products of the reaction were ethane and cyclopentadiene, and the rate of formation of ethane was first order in each reactant over a 2500-fold change in the ratio of concentrations of the reactants. An increased surface-to-volume ratio of the reaction vessel or additions of oxygen and nitric oxide had little effect on the rate of formation of ethane, and it was concluded that the dominant reaction in the system was the concerted hydrogen-transfer process. The rate constant for the reaction, measured over the temperature range of 325–505°C, was represented as