COMPARISON OF RESULTS FROM THE OXIDATION OF NORMAL AND ISOPROPYLBENZENE.

For toluene and ethylbenzene the major fuel consumption route begins with the abstraction of a hydrogen atom from the sidechain by a radical species. The sidechain of toluene has only benzylic hydrogens, and while ethylbenzene has benzylic and primary hydrogens, abstraction of either will produce a phenylethyl radical which decomposes to styrene. Thus, neither of these fuels could give information on the selectivity of radicals for benzylic hydrogens versus primary or secondary hydrogens. For the propylbenzenes, however, abstractions at different carbons in the sidechain are expected to produce unique products. Therefore, the experimental data on the two propylbenzene isomers should produce information on the primary oxidative routes as well as some insight into the selectivity of radicals toward benzylic hydrogens.