Verification of the interstitial carbide hydrolysis mechanism by a radioanalytical method

The hydrolytic products of manganese carbide Mn7C3 are hydrogen and a number of paraffins of the series CH4, C2H6, C3H8, etc., whose concentrations characteristically decrease with increasing number of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon molecule. A radioanalytical method applied after Mn7C3 hydrolysis by tritium oxide has revealed that an analogous series of olefins in trace concentrations is formed well as well. It has been confirmed that the sum of the concentrations of hydrocarbons higher than C4 corresponds to the trend of the series. A stoichiometric and structurally consistent radical mechanism of Mn7C3 hydrolysis is proposed as derived from the composition of the hydrolytic products. The initial components of the radical reactions could be CH2, CH3 and H radicals. The statistical and combinatorial aspects of the mechanism are also discussed. (author)