295.    BONE, W. A., AND GARDNER, J. B.  Comparative Studies of the Slow Combustion of Methane, Methyl Alcohol, Formaldehyde, and Formic Acid.  Proc. Roy. Soc. (London), vol. A154, 1936, pp. 297-328; Chem. Abs., vol. 30, 1936, p. 4461.

                  The induction period in the slow combustion of CH₄ at 390°-420° (1) is not influenced by preheating the reactants or exposure of the reacting medium to ultraviolet light, (2) is lengthened by increasing the surface; volume ratio of a SiO₂ reaction vessel, (3) is shortest with a 2CH₄+O₂ medium, (4) is characterized by the successive formation of small equilibrium amounts of MeOH and CH₂O, and is greatly shortened by additions of either of them or of NO₂, and (5) is markedly lengthened by additions of 1.  The slow oxidation of MeOH was much faster and less influenced by the SiO₂ surface that that of CH₄ at 390°.   It shows no appreciable induction period but may be speeded up by small additions of CH₂O or NO₂.  2MeOH+O₂ is the most reactive medium, its end products being principally steam and the oxides of C, with a high CO:CO₂ ratio.  A still higher oxidation rate was found for CH₂O, which showed no induction period even at 275°.  HCO₂H as well as performic acid and formaldehyde peroxide were formed as intermediate products.  The slowest oxidation rate was observed with HCO₂H, the gaseous end products being principally CO, CO₂, steam, and H₂.  The results for CH₄ are explained on the basis of the hydroxylation theory.  No sign of an initial peroxidation of the CH₄ was found in any of the experiments.