Gas phase thermolysis of aryl t‐butyl amines

Abstract

AbstractN‐t‐butylaniline, N‐t‐butyl‐p‐anisidine, and N‐t‐butyl‐p‐nitroaniline have been pyrolyzed in a stirred‐flow reactor at 510–620°C, 8–15 torr total pressure, and 0.5–1.5 s contact time, using toluene as carrier gas. An order one kinetics was observed for the consumption of the amines. The reactions yielded 95 ± 2% isobutene plus the corresponding anilines as reaction products. The rate coefficients followed the Arrhenius equations N–t–butylaniline N‐t‐butyl‐p‐anisidine N‐t‐butyl‐p‐nitroaniline The results are consistent with an unimolecular elimination of isobutene involving polar four‐center cyclic transition states. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.