Kinetics of the addition of triethylaluminium to alkenes in hydrocarbon solution

Abstract

Arrhenius parameters (A, E) for the addition of unassociated triethylaluminium (Et₃Al) to both styrene and 2-methylhept-1-ene are reported. These values for a branched olefin and an aryl olefin established that steric effects have the most important influence on the magnitude of A and E. A and E are low for n-alk-1-enes and high for alkenes with a sterically encumbered double bond. In the latter cases the formation of the initial π-complex is hindered and this becomes the rate-controlling step.