The slow combustion of gaseous paraffins, especially propane

In the slow oxidation of propane at 270°–280°C it has been found that treating the Pyrex reaction bulb with potassium chloride greatly lengthens the induction period, thus indicating that the preliminary reaction occurs on the surface. Addition of small amounts of acetaldehyde shortens but does not eliminate the induction period, a fact which confirms previous conclusions that peracids (formed from aldehyde) are unimportant in the reaction scheme. Experiments after the potassium chloride treatment show that conditions favoring access to the walls diminish the rate of reaction markedly. This, together with the previously observed destructive action of the treated wall on peroxides, indicates that the latter play an essential role in the slow oxidation of the higher paraffins, whatever may be the case for methane and ethane.