THE REACTIONS OF ACTIVE NITROGEN WITH ACETYLENE, METHYLACETYLENE, AND DIMETHYLACETYLENE

Abstract

Hydrogen cyanide was the main nitrogen-containing product of all three reactions, but whereas only about one-half the available active nitrogen was converted to product in the acetylene reaction, the conversion by methyl- and dimethyl-acetylene was substantially complete. A faster-than-linear increase of HCN production with acetylene flow rate was observed at low flow rates. Similar behavior was just perceptible in the corresponding curve for methylacetylene, while no observable inflection was present with dimethylacetylene. Polymer formation was pronounced with acetylene, less so with methylacetylene, and practically absent with dimethylacetylene. Small amounts of cyanogen resulted from all three reactions, while condensable hydrocarbons were obtained in significant yields from the methyl- and dimethyl-acetylene reactions only at higher flow rates of the alkynes.