Acetone has been photolyzed in a flow system at several temperatures in the pressure range 0.5 to 11 mm with exciting radiation of wave-length 2650–2900A and 2537A. The free methyl radicals formed in the decomposition have been determined as lead tetramethyl. Approximately one methyl radical is formed for every four molecules of carbon monoxide, the actual proportion depending on temperature and pressure. Relatively more free radicals are formed at 100°C than at lower temperatures and more are formed at lower pressure than at high. A process involving the existence of a long lived metastable state for photoactivated acetone has been suggested to explain the results. The proposed scheme is found consistent with most of the published work on acetone photolysis.
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