STUDIES ON HOMOGENEOUS FIRST ORDER GAS REACTIONS: VIII. THE DECOMPOSITION OF TRICHLORETHYLIDENE DIACETATE AND TRICHLORETHYLIDENE DIBUTYRATE
Trichlorethylidene diacetate and trichlorethylidene dibutyrate have been found to decompose at temperatures between 200° and 290 °C. at a measurable rate to give chloral and an acid anhydride. The reactions are homogeneous and of the first order, and have the same specific velocity in both the liquid and vapor states. The activation energy is identical (within experimental error) with that previously found for non-chlorinated members of this series of esters. The two compounds decompose at the same rate, in agreement with the hypothesis that the anhydride radicals do not easily exchange energy with the bonds that break. This reaction velocity, which is somewhat smaller than that of ethylidene diacetate at any temperature, is given by the equation [Formula: see text].