The reaction of methylene radicals with methyl isocyanide

Abstract

An exploratory study has been made of the gas-phase reactions of methylene radicals, generated by the photolysis of ketene near 3000 Å, with methyl, ethyl, and allyl isocyanides at room temperature.With methyl isocyanide, the principal product at low pressure is ethyl cyanide, together with a few percent of methyl cyanide; ethyl isocyanide is also formed, increasingly so as the total pressure is increased. Reaction appears to take place through a vibrationally excited ethyl isocyanide intermediate, and approximate rate constants for each reaction pathway are derived. Isotopic studies suggest that the methylene radicals insert in the H3C—NC bond of the methyl isocyanide.