Alkene/alkane possible mechanism

Most of the work reported with these complexes has been concerned with kinetic measurements and suggestions of possible mechanisms. The [Ru(HjO)(EDTA)] / aq. HjOj/ascorbate/dioxane system was used for the oxidation of cyclohexanol to cw-l,3-cyclohexanediol and regarded as a model for peroxidase systems kinetic data and rate laws were derived [773], Kinetic data were recorded for the following systems [Ru(Hj0)(EDTA)]702/aq. ascorbate/dioxane/30°C (an analogue of the Udenfriend system cyclohexanol oxidation) [731] [Ru(H20)(EDTA)]70j/water (alkanes and epoxidation of cyclic alkenes - [Ru (0)(EDTA)] may be involved) [774] [Ru(HjO)(EDTA)]702/water-dioxane (epoxidation of styrenes - a metallo-oxetane intermediate was postulated) [775] [Ru(HjO)(EDTA)]7aq. H O /dioxane (ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid and of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone)... 

There are two important ways of adding alkanes to olefins—the thermal method and the acid-catalysis method.412 Both give chiefly mixtures, and neither is useful for the preparation of relatively pure compounds in reasonable yields. However, both are useful industrially. In the thermal method the reactants are heated to high temperatures (about 500°C) at high pressures (150 to 300 atm) without a catalyst. As an example, propane and ethylene gave 55.5% isopentane, 7.3% hexanes, 10.1% heptanes, and 7.4% alkenes.411 The mechanism is undoubtedly of a free-radical type and can be illustrated by one possible sequence in the reaction between propane and ethylene ... 

The workers proposed that alkyl hydroperoxides and aqueous hydrogen peroxide interact with TS-1 in a similar manner, forming titanium alkyl peroxo complexes and titanium peroxo complexes, respectively. However, the titanium alkyl peroxo complexes were not active because the substrate could not enter the void due to steric effects. Consequently, no activity was possible for either alkane hydroxylation or alkene epoxidation. Comparison with Ti02-Si02/alkyl hydroperoxide for alkane and alkene oxidation indicated that this material was active because the oxidation took place on the surface and not in the pores. Figures 4.4 and 4.5 show the possible mechanisms in operation for the oxidation of alkenes and alkanes with a TS-1/hydrogen peroxide system. 

Bui nham, A. K. Ward, R. L. "A Possible Mechanism of Alkene/Alkane Production in Oil Shale Retorting," Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, UCRL-84048, (1980) also ACS Div. Fuel Chem. Preprint, Fall 1980. 

Alkenes are also readily formed by dehydration ofhydroxybis(thienyl)alkanes (see Section IV). One reaction of particular interest is the formation of the acetylated alkenes 80a and 80b on treatment of the carbinol 78 with acetic anhydride-zinc chloride110 a possible mechanism involves the mixed anhydride 79 (Eq. 25). 

It could be that different mechanisms take place on the catalyst surface at the same time (i.e., that different monomers are involved in the chain growth process). Even if two or more different mechanisms operate at the same time, the overall distribution would probably still be as per the ASF theory. The mix of alkenes, alkanes, o genated products, and other products could then depend on the relative contributions of the various mechanisms. In chapter 3 of Reference 7, the possibility of how the various surface species (CO, HCOH, CH2, H, OH, and H2O) may be involved in the reactions occurring on the catalyst surface is proposed. 

The chromatograms of the liquid phase show the presence of smaller and larger hydrocarbons than the parent one. Nevertheless, the main products are n-alkanes and 1-alkenes with a carbon number between 3 to 9 and an equimolar distribution is obtained. The product distribution can be explained by the F-S-S mechanism. Between the peaks of these hydrocarbons, it is possible to observe numerous smaller peaks. They have been identified by mass spectrometry as X-alkenes, dienes and also cyclic compounds (saturated, partially saturated and aromatic). These secondary products start to appear at 400 °C. Of course, their quantities increase at 425 °C. As these hydrocarbons are not seen for the lower temperature, it is possible to imagine that they are secondary reaction products. The analysis of the gaseous phase shows the presence of hydrogen, light alkanes and 1-alkenes. 

The rearrangement of platinacyclobutanes to alkene complexes or ylide complexes is shown to involve an initial 1,3-hydride shift (a-elimina-tion), which may be preceded by skeletal isomerization. This isomerization can be used as a model for the bond shift mechanism of isomerization of alkanes by platinum metal, while the a-elimination also suggests a possible new mechanism for alkene polymerisation. New platinacyclobutanes with -CH2 0SC>2Me substituents undergo solvolysis with ring expansion to platinacyclopentane derivatives, the first examples of metallacyclobutane to metallacyclopentane ring expansion. The mechanism, which may also involve preliminary skeletal isomerization, has been elucidated by use of isotopic labelling and kinetic studies. 

In atmospheric pressure discharges, where concentrations of N atoms are greatly reduced and possibly absent, the discrimination between alkanes and alkenes is not observed and an alternative means of initiating the reaction is required. In the absence of significant concentrations of N, the mechanism may consist of collisional energy transfer from N2(A32 +), which lies 593 kJ mor1... 

Polymerization of isobutylene, in contrast, is the most characteristic example of all acid-catalyzed hydrocarbon polymerizations. Despite its hindered double bond, isobutylene is extremely reactive under any acidic conditions, which makes it an ideal monomer for cationic polymerization. While other alkenes usually can polymerize by several different propagation mechanisms (cationic, anionic, free radical, coordination), polyisobutylene can be prepared only via cationic polymerization. Acid-catalyzed polymerization of isobutylene is, therefore, the most thoroughly studied case. Other suitable monomers undergoing cationic polymerization are substituted styrene derivatives and conjugated dienes. Superacid-catalyzed alkane selfcondensation (see Section 5.1.2) and polymerization of strained cycloalkanes are also possible.118... 

As was mentioned in Section V.C.3.b, when competitive oxidation of 1-octene and -hexane is carried out, the alkene is preferentially oxidized. Correspondingly, alkenes react at lower temperatures than alkanes. It is therefore surprising that under noncompetitive reaction conditions, the rate of oxidation of n-hexane is higher than that of 1-octene (Huybrechts et al., 1992). One possible explanation for this observation is that the reaction conditions were different (Clerici et al., 1993b). At 373 K titanium peroxo compounds decompose, thereby giving rise to radical chain reactions that are negligible at lower temperatures. Thus there could be a different mechanism for low- and high-temperature oxidations made more complex by secondary uncatalyzed oxidation of initial products (Spinace et al., 1995). 

All these data are in favor of a homolytic mode of oxygen transfer from Vv alkyl peroxides to hydrocarbons, and the mechanism suggested in Scheme 4, based on that of oxidation by Vv-peroxo complexes (Scheme 2), was tentatively attributed to a biradical V17 — OR—O species which can add to arenes and abstract hydrogen atoms from alkanes. It is probable that the absence of a releasable coordination site adjacent to the triangular alkyl peroxide group in (22) precludes the possibility of the alkene coordination to the metal and therefore prevents its heterolytic epoxi-dation. 

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