Reactions of Propene and Cyclopropane Radical Cations with Neutral Ethylene

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/oms.1210280309

The gas-phase reactions of propene and cyclopropane radical cations with neutral ethylene were investigated by using Fourier transform, chemical ionization and tandem mass spectrometries.Both reactions form covalent C5H10 adduct ions.The adduct ions are hypothesized to form initially as distonic radical cations that isomerize via a substituted cyclopropane intermediate and are detected as the most stable C5H10 isomer, the 2-methylbut-2-ene radical cation.The rate constant for each reaction is approximately 20percent of the theoretically collision rate, indicating that product ions are formed in one out of every five collisions of the C3H6 radical cationcs with neutral C2H4.