Kinetic study of the thermal isomerization of fulvene

Abstract

The thermal unimolecular isomerization of fulvene to benzene was studied by the technique of very low-pressure pyrolysis. The observed fall-off regime rate coefficients (obtained over the temperature range of c. 1050-1150 K) were fitted by using RRKM (Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus) theory (assuming a concerted reaction mechanism) to give high-pressure Arrhenius parameters in the range E_∞ = 268-285 kJ mol^-1, log(A/s^-1) = 13-14.