Electric Strength of Unsaturated Hydrocarbon Gases

WE have recently shown 1 that the electric strength of the alkanes and cyclic saturated hydrocarbons can be related in a relatively simple manner to the total cross-section, θ (largely elastic), for electron scattering. The results further indicated that this cross-section was composed of separate and additive cross-sections, θ c–H and θ c–c , for the electrons associated with the carbon–hydrogen and carbon–carbon bonds, respectively. It was found that θ c–c was essentially zero, owing presumably to shielding by the electrons of the carbon–hydrogen bonds.