Reactions of thiyl radicals. V. The gas phase photolysis of methyl disulfide and ethyl disulfide mixtures in the presence of ethylene

Abstract

The gas phase photolysis of methyl disulfide and ethyl disulfide and their mixtures, in the presence and absence of ethylene, has been studied at 25 °C and λ = 2300–2800 Å. The pure substrates give predominantly the corresponding thiol, whereas co-photolysis yields methyl ethyl disulfide in appreciably larger yields.When ethylene is added, the substrates individually show a reduction in RSH rate and the formation of relatively small amounts of sulfides. In their co-photolysis, added C2H4 does not appreciably alter the rate of methyl ethyl disulfide formation, indicating a low efficiency of RS scavenging by the olefin in this system.Isopropanol and 2,3-dimethyl butane do not increase the thiol yield from the pure substrates.