Hydroxymethylene, HCOH

Now it is possible to consider the mechanism of the molecular elimination process (eq. 23) in light of a new isomeric intermediate, hydroxymethylene (hCoH). In the low-temperature matrix photolysis of formaldehyde at 15 K, three sets of photochemical products were found (1) methanol and CO in solid formaldehyde (2) glycoaldehyde in a dilute Ar matrix and (3) hydroxyketene in a CO matrix (227). These observations were... 

Let us first seek a product-like (hydroxymethylene) perspective of the IRC pathway. As shown in Fig. 10.11, the leading delocalizations of the HCOH... 

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