Radiolysis of vinyl iodide. Part 2.—Solutions of vinyl iodide in carbon tetrachloride

Abstract

Radiolysis of solutions of vinyl iodide in carbon tetrachloride enables a mechanism of formation of products to be specified. Ethylene is formed within spurs in reactions involving vinyl radicals and hydrogen iodide, while acetylene is formed in three different processes involving molecular decomposition of vinyl iodide, and hydrogen-abstraction reactions by either iodide or chlorine atoms from vinyl radicals. Hydrogen iodide is formed in hydrogen-abstraction reaction by atomic iodine from vinyl radical. Hydrogen is formed in the molecular decomposition and by hot hydrogen atom abstraction. Hydrogen chloride is formed mainly by hot chlorine atom abstraction of hydrogen from vinyl iodide. Competition between the dissociative electron attachment processes of CCl₄ and C₂H₃I strongly affects the hydrogen chloride formation. Vinyl chloride is formed within spurs in reactions involving vinyl radicals and HCl or Cl atoms. There is no evidence of electronic excitation transfer in the present system, and charge transfer seems improbable.