NeoPentane, reactions

Tetraneopentyltitanium [36945-13-8] Np Ti, forms from the reaction of TiCl and neopentyllithium ia hexane at —80° C ia modest yield only because of extensive reduction of Ti(IV). Tetranorbomyltitanium [36333-76-3] can be prepared similarly. When exposed to oxygen, (NpO)4Ti forms. If it is boiled ia ben2ene, it decomposes to neopentane. When dissolved ia monomers, eg, a-olefins or dienes, styrene, or methyl methacrylate, it initiates a slow polymerisation (211,212). Results from copolymerisation studies iadicate a radical mechanism (212). Ultraviolet light iacreases the rate of dissociation to... 

Saturated hydrocarbons such as neopentane, notbomane, and cyclooctane have been converted to the corresponding perfluoro derivatives in 10-20% yield by gas-phase reaction with fluorine gas diluted with helium at —78°C. Simple ethers can be completely fluorinated under similar conditions. Crown polyethers can be fluorinated by passing an Fa/He stream over a solid mixture of sodium fluoride and the crown ether. Liquid-phase fluorination of hydrocarbons has also been observed, but the reaction is believed to be ionic, rather than radical, in character. A variety of milder fluorination agents have been developed for synthetic purposes and will be discussed in Chapter 6 of Part B. 

Direct photochemical excitation of unconjugated alkenes requires light with A < 230 nm. There have been relatively few studies of direct photolysis of alkenes in solution because of the experimental difficulties imposed by this wavelength restriction. A study of Z- and -2-butene diluted with neopentane demonstrated that Z E isomerization was competitive with the photochemically allowed [2tc + 2n] cycloaddition that occurs in pure liquid alkene. The cycloaddition reaction is completely stereospecific for each isomer, which requires that the excited intermediates involved in cycloaddition must retain a geometry which is characteristic of the reactant isomer. As the ratio of neopentane to butene is increased, the amount of cycloaddition decreases relative to that of Z E isomerization. This effect presumably is the result of the veiy short lifetime of the intermediate responsible for cycloaddition. When the alkene is diluted by inert hydrocarbon, the rate of encounter with a second alkene molecule is reduced, and the unimolecular isomerization becomes the dominant reaction. 

Kennedy and co-workers10 studied the kinetics of the reaction between Me3Al and t-butyl halides using methyl halide solvents as a model for initiation and termination in cationic polymerization. Neopentane was generated rapidly, without side reactions and rates were determined by NMR spectroscopy. The major conclusions were ... 

Other types of non-micro-channel, non-micro-flow micro reactors were used for catalyst development and testing [51, 52]. A computer-based micro-reactor system was described for investigating heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase reactions [52]. The micro reactor is a Pyrex glass tube of 8 mm inner diameter and can be operated up to 500 °C and 1 bar. The reactor inner volume is 5-10 ml, the loop cycle is 0.9 ml, and the pump volume adds a further 9 ml. The reactor was used for isomerization of neopentane and n-pentane and the hydrogenolysis of isobutane, n-butane, propane, ethane, and methane at Pt with a catalyst. 

The adsorption628 and ion exchange629-631 reactions of chiral [Co(en)3]3+ with clays have been studied. When the [Co(en)3]3+ ion exchanges with lamellar clays such as fluorhectorites, it increases the interplanar separation of the lamellae and influences the selectivity for intercalation of small molecules and atoms (H2, D2, Ne, and 02) within the clay over larger ones such as isobutane and neopentane.631... 

The stereospecificity of these reactions is surprising in light of the large energies absorbpd by these molecules. Indeed, the major photochemical product of these photolyses was the alternate olefin isomer (1-butene was also observed). These results indicate that free rotation about the photo-excited double bond does not occur in those molecules that dimerize. This suggests the participation of ground state complexes or excimers in the photodimerization. This view is supported by the observations that dilution of cw-2-butene with neopentane (1 1) decreased the yield of dimers and a 1 4 dilution almost completely suppressed dimerization. 

Above 323 K, the surface hydride catalyzes the hydrogenolysis of neopentane, isobutane, and propane, whereas ethane does not undergo any significant hydrogenolysis. The first step of the reaction is the activation of the C—H bond, whereas the next step is the activation of the C—C bond of the alkyl groups via (l-methyl migration steps. 

The temperature dependence of the selectivity for isomerization versus hydrogenolysis depends on the type of catalyst. Thus, over thick platinum film catalysts this selectivity was temperature independent for the reaction of the butanes and neopentane (24). However, in Boudart and Ptak s (122) reaction of neopentane over platinum/carbon the selectivity to isomerization decreased slightly with increasing temperature while Kikuchi et al. (128) found an increased trend for isomerization in the reaction of n-pentane over platinum/silica and platinum/carbon catalysts. 

The type of intermediate shown in structure (B) has also been supported by Muller and Gault (119) who showed that in the reaction of 1,1-dimethylcyclopropane with deuterium over a series of thick evaporated metal film catalysts, it was only on platinum that 1,1,3-da-neopen-tane (and 1,1,3,3-d4-neopentane) were dominant products. On palladium, iron, rhodium, nickel, and cobalt the major product was 1,3-d2-neopentane. 

When the reactions of alkane molecules larger than the butanes or neopentane are studied, and in particular when the molecule is large enough to form a Cs or a Ce ring, the complexity of the reaction pathway is considerably increased and an important feature is the occurrence, in addition to isomerization product, of important amounts of cyclic reaction products, particularly methylcyclopentane, formed by dehydrocycliza-tion this suggests the existence of adsorbed cyclic species. The question is whether the reaction paths for dehydrocyclization and isomerization are related. There is convincing evidence that they are. Skeletal interconversions involving n-hexane, 2- and 3-methylpentane may be represented. 

Neopentane does not undergo isomerization 185) on chromia/alumina (non-acidic) at 537°C, the only significant reaction been hydrogenolysis to methane and iso-C4. However, the reality of isomerization is made clear from, for instance, the formation of xylenes from 2,3,4-trimethylpentane. For o- and p-xylene, the reactions are (24) and (25) 182, 93). These processes are formally quite analogous to those we have described in previous... 

Figure 4a Summary of the reactions of rhenium atoms with acyclic saturated hydrocarbons. Rhenium atoms were co-condensed with the indicated substrates at -196 °C. (i) Ethane (ii) Propane (iii) n-Butane (iv) Neopentane (v) 2-Methylpropane and (vi) Tetramethylsilane.

After obtaining from the measured value of kl by this procedure, one can determine the attachment efficiency in the quasi-free state, rj = fe1f/fed.ff, by the same procedure as for scavenging reactions (see Eq. 10.11 et seq.). Mozumder (1996) classifies the attachment reactions somewhat arbitrarily as nearly diffusion-controlled, partially diffusion-controlled, and not diffusion-controlled depending on whether the efficiency p > 0.5, 0.5 > r > 0.2, or r < 0.2, respectively. By this criterion, the attachment reaction efficiency generally falls with electron mobility. Nearly diffusion-controlled reactions can only be seen in the liquids of the lowest mobility. Typical values of r] are (1) 0.65 and 0.72 respectively for styrene and p-C6H4F2 in n-hexane (2) 0.14 and 0.053 respectively for a-methylstyrene and naphthalene in isooctane (3) 1.8 X 10-3 for C02 in neopentane and (4) 0.043 and 0.024 respectively for triphenylene and naphthalene in TMS. 

The hydrogenolysis of neopentane occurs primarily by breaking of a single C—C bond to produce methane and isobutane as the major reaction products Small amounts of ethane and propane were also produced. The reaction kinetics were similar on the two surfaces, indicating a similar mechanism for both surfaces. 

The mechanism of this remarkable a-elimination reaction has been scrutinized by several research groups [17,49,51,396-404]. From the experimental data obtained this process is best described as an intramolecular deprotonation of one neopentyl ligand by another, the latter being released as neopentane (Figure 3.4). 

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