Tracer studies of the reactions of singlet and triplet methylene in the gas phase

Abstract

The reactions of singlet and triplet methylene have been studied with 14C and tritium tracers. Triplet methylene is intercepted by O2, and oxidized to CO or CO2. In the absence of O2, triplet methylene reacts with 2-butene, and the excited biradical can decompose to methyl plus butenyl. In saturated systems, triplet methylene is very long-lived and undergoes radical-radical reactions. Singlet methylene reacts with ethylene while still vibrationally excited. Singlet 14CH2 can undergo isotopic exchange with CO to form 14CO; 1(14CH2) can also react by abstraction of Cl or Br from methyl halide.