The action of atomic hydrogen on hexadecene‐1, hexadecane and linseed oil

The reaction of hydrogen atoms, prepared according to Langmuir by passing a stream of hydrogen over a glowing tungsten wire, with liquid hexadecene‐1, hexadecane and linseed oil is described. With hexadecane saturated higher molecular hydrocarbons are formed. With hexadecene hydrogenation as well as polymerization occurs, the polymerization products being partly unsaturated. With linseed oil conjugation of the double bonds occurs besides hydrogenation and polymerization, but only to a small extent. Interaction of H‐atoms with the double bond proceeds faster than with the saturated part of the molecule, though the last reaction definitely makes a contribution to the overall reaction. Formation of unsaturated products from the corresponding saturates hardly occurs. Other literature is reviewed in connection with the present work.