Acetaldehyde photolysis at 3130Å. Rates of formation of methane and ethane

Abstract

The rates of formation of methane and ethane in acetaldehyde photolysis have been measured over a range of temperatures, pressures and light intensities. In the temperature range studied (69–175°C) the deactivation of excited acetaldehyde molecules is an important process. The results can be interpreted as indicating that the photodecomposition into radicals occurs from a triplet state. The rearrangement into methane and carbon monoxide is not subject to deactivation and the quantum yield of this reaction is probably temperature-dependent.