Rate of combination of trimethylsilyl radicals in the gas phase

Abstract

Trimethylsilyl radicals have been generated by the mercury photosensitized decomposition of trimethylsilane. The absolute rate of combination of these radicals has been measured by the classical rotating sector technique between 317 and 399 K, using the abstraction of chlorine from ethyl chloride to give chlorotrimethylsilane as the pilot reaction.

The activation energy for combination was found to be negligible and the rate coefficient to be given by: log (k/ml mol^–1 s^–1)= 14.25 ± 0.30 where the error is estimated from the experimental scatter.