High temperature oxidation of n-alkyl benzenes

K. Brezinsky, G. T. Linteris, T. A. Litzinger, I. Glassman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

In a flow reactor study of the oxidation of n-butyl benzene at 1069K, the intermediate species that were observed were essentially the same as those found during oxidation studies of the other members of the homologous series: methyl, ethyl and n-propyl benzene. Furthermore, the same three types of processes responsible for the removal of the n-alkyl side chain found to be important in studies of the oxidation of the smaller n-alkyl benzenes were found to be responsible for removal of the n-butyl side chain: 1) abstraction of a hydrogen from the alkyl group, decomposition of the radical and oxidation of the subsequently formed species; 2) displacement of the alkyl group by a radical species-usually an H atom; 3) thermal cleavage (homolysis) of part of the side chain followed by oxidation of the resultant radicals. As was found in the study of the other members of the homologous series, the oxidation mechanism of the alkane analogue, in this case n-butane, provided a framework for predicting the intermediates that would be formed by the side chain removal processes. The results of this study have led to the development of a simple, general, mechanistic model for the oxidation of n-alkyl benzenes that qualitatively represents the processes responsible for the removal of n-alkyl side chains.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)833-840
Number of pages8
JournalSymposium (International) on Combustion
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1988

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • Fuel Technology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes

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