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Hydrolysis of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide in aqueous ethanol-water and acetone-water mixtures. Technical report, October 1983-December 1984

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7170349

The rate of hydrolysis of 2,2-dichlorodiethyl sulfide (mustard) was investigated at 25 C in water in the presence of 5% by volume acetone. The results led to a proposed SN1 mechanism using a sulfonium ion intermediate. The hydrolysis of a less-toxic and commonly used mustard simulant, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES), however, was never investigated. This study measures the rates of hydrolysis of CEES over a wide range of temperatures in binary aqueous mixtures of ethanol-water and acetone-water. The presence of the organic-solvent component was necessary because the rate of dissolution of CEES in pure water was too slow for accurate reaction rate measurements. It was also expected that an investigation in the activation parameters and their variation with solvent composition should provide further evidence of the reaction mechanism. These variations are expected to follow similar patterns as that of t-butyl chloride (TBC), a frequently used model for SN1 hydrolysis. Therefore, rate constants of TBC hydrolysis in the same solvent mixtures were also measured for comparison with CEES and for comparison with earlier work.

Research Organization:
Chemical Research, Development and Engineering Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (USA)
OSTI ID:
7170349
Report Number(s):
AD-A-173177/7/XAB; CRDEC-TR-86048
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English