Pyrolyses in the presence of nitric oxide. Part II. n-Butane

The formation of hydrogen, methane, and nitrogen during the very early stages of the pyrolysis of n-butane (15–250 Torr) with nitric oxide (0–200 Torr) at temperatures of 435 to 508 °C has been studied. A mechanism based on that proposed 1 for the pyrolysis of ethane with nitric oxide is shown to account for the observed kinetics. Values for the rate constant of the reaction C2H5·+ NO → C2H4+ HNO at 455 and 472 °C are deduced.