Effect of Steric Factors on Reaction Rate

Effect of Steric Factors on Reaction Rate 1. Oxidation of Double Bonds 

The first, and still one of the most striking, of the monolayer reactions investigated was the oxidation of a film of oleic acid (13,15) by permanganate. The double bond is oxidized thus  

Rale Constants for Oxidation of cis and trans Isomers at Different Film Pressures (Marsden and Rideal, 351 

Another example, similar to that of the oleic acid oxidation, is provided by the study (Mittelmann and Palmer, 36) of the rate of oxidation of triolein films. Their results will be considered in more detail below, where their mathematical analysis will be discussed. 

Different sterol isomers, with the various positions of the double bonds, may be expected to be oxidized by permanganate in degrees and at rates which depend on the relative protection of the double bonds in the different monolayers. The main factor determining the orientation of the sterol molecules in the film will be the position of the hydroxyl link. The configuration of the double bonds about this will influence the rate of oxidation. Alternatively, the oxidation experiments may throw light on the structure of the molecules. 

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