Further comments on the low temperature oxidation

Reaction (5c) is to be regarded as an over-simplification of the branching process, although there seems little doubt that this is the correct kinetic description. Information was sought by following the yields of products after the consumption of the oxygen for a reaction in which the initial concentration of oxygen was considerably less than that of the aldehyde [43]. Under these circumstances the residual reaction is 

Other mechanisms can be devised which explain at lease some of the features of the low temperature oxidation. However, generally, these alternatives have serious limitations. For example, one might consider a scheme comprising (la), (2), (3), (4a) and (5d) 

The replacement of (5c) by (5d) has been chosen so as to recognize that as the peracid concentration becomes high attack on it by the radical present in the highest concentration is possible. For the region where the rate of branching is much greater than that of initiation this scheme leads to the instantaneous rate expression 

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