Di(1-naphthyl)methane Research Articles

Thermal decomposition and hydrocracking of hydrogenated di(1-naphthyl)methanes

The thermal decomposition and hydrocracking of di(1-naphthyl)methane (DNM) and its hydro-derivatives (H-DNMs) were investigated to evaluate the effect of hydrogenation of aromatic rings on the reactivities of the H-DNMs toward thermal decomposition and hydrocracking. In the presence of FeS 2 catalyst and H 2, DNM rapidly decomposes to naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene, even at 300°C, and it seems that the more deeply they are hydrogenated, the more slowly the hydro-derivatives decompose. Without the catalyst or H 2, however, the reactivities of DNM and H-DNMs toward thermal decomposition appear to be reversed except for di(1-decalyl)methane (20H-DNM), which shows almost no decomposition even at 400°C, independent of the presence of the catalyst and H 2 in the reaction system.