THE THERMAL CIS–TRANS ISOMERIZATION OF CROTONONITRILE

Abstract

The thermal cis–trans isomerization of crotononitrile has been studied in the gas phase at pressures from 0.2 to 20 mm and temperatures from 300 °C to 560 °C. For the equilibrium cis → trans, ΔH = 0.17 ± 0.12 kcal/mole, and ΔS = −0.39 ± 0.19 cal/mole °K. The isomerization is a homogeneous, unimolecular, reversible first-order reaction, the rate constant for the reaction cis → trans being given by[Formula: see text]The only side reaction with appreciable rate was a surface polymerization.