3395.     THOMPSON, S. O., TURKEVICH, J. AND IRSA, A. P.  Reaction of Deuterium With Hydrocarbons Over a Cobalt-Thoria Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst.  Jour. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 73, 1951, pp. 5213-5215.

        H exchange reactions were observed between D₂ and C₂H₆, C₃H₈, C₄H₁₀ and iso-C₄H₁₀ when a mixture of 6 vol. of D₂ and 1 vol. of each of the hydrocarbons was passed over a Fischer-Tropsch Co catalyst under conditions of temperature and flow rate similar to those for hydrocarbon synthesis.  The exchanged products were found to be extremely deuterated and the mole % of hydrocarbon molecules undergoing exchange was <10% in the case of the ethanes and propanes, 45% for n-butane and 51% for isobutane.  Cracking of the hydrocarbon gases to produce deuterated CH₄ was also observed.  The exchange reaction of CH₄ and D₂ and CD₄ and CH₄ was also studied.