Alternative Reaction Channels and Carbene Intermediates in the Ce4+-Malonic Acid and Ce4+-Bromomalonic Acid Reactions. 1. CO2 Measurements.

ABSTRACT

The Ce4+-malonic/bromomalonic acid reactions play an important role in the oscillatory Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. In this work CO2 evolution from these reactions was studied with a sensitive and quantitative method, by converting the CO2 to methane and measuring it with a flame ionization detector. It was found that the stoichiometries depend on the initial conditions in batch experiments or on the mixing rate of reagents in a semibatch reactor. These findings are explained by two main reaction channels one for recombination and another for decarboxylation. Decarboxylation itself has two separate routes, one is dominant at low while the other at high Ce4+ concentrations. In the latter, formation of more than two CO2 molecules from one malonic/bromomalonic acid molecule was observed. Novel reaction schemes containing carbenes are proposed for these "high Ce4+" decarboxylation channels. To check the new mechanism, HPLC measurements are planned as a continuation of the research.