Open-Chain Ethers in the Liquid Phase

PHOTOLYSIS OF ETHERS A. Open-Chain Ethers in the Liquid Phase 

Open-chain ethers were investigated in 1968 in the group of Yang (126). Preliminary results were obtained with n-butyl methyl ether, methyl n-pentyl ether, and 1,2-diethoxyethane. 

More recently, detailed studies were presented by the reviewers group on diethyl ether (177), methyl n-propyl ether (88), t-butyl methyl ether (86), di-t-butyl ether (87), and 2-methoxyethanol (159), and more restricted studies (178) on ethyl n-propyl ether, ethyl isopropyl ether. Isopropyl methyl ether, and n-butyl methyl ether. 

The most important products are in all cases the alcohols ROH and R OH if the ether is designated as R-O-R. Further key products (see below) are the aldehydes in primary ethers and ketones in secondary ethers. The quantum yields of these key products and that of H2 are tabulated in Table 11. For the quantum yields of further products that often exceed 30 in number see references given. 

Excepting di-t-butyl ether (see below), the most important primary process is the homolytic C-0 bond scission (reactions 27 and 28). 

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