RADIOLYSIS OF CYCLOHEXANONE: I. PURE LIQUID

Abstract

The G values of the major products of the gamma-radiolysis of liquid cyclohexanone are: hydrogen (0.76), carbon monoxide (0.45), 1-pentene (0.22), 5-hexenal (0.85), cyclohexenone (0.4), cyclohexanol (0.5), "dimer" (1.15), and polymer (1.8 cyclohexanone units). A large number of minor products were also measured.The amount of ring cleavage that occurs in cyclohexanone is much greater than that which occurs in the radiolysis of cyclohexane. The increase has been attributed to the influence of the carbonyl group on the course of the reaction. Ring cleavage occurs preferentially at the C—C bonds to the carbonyl group.Much of the radiolytic reaction appears to occur from energy states higher than those of importance in the photolytic studies.