1if you open the tert-butyl chloride and tert-butyl bromide to the air for few hours? What happened to the ratio of the halide mixture during this time?

(2-methyl-2-propanol reaction )

If you open tert-butyl chloride and tert-butyl bromide to the air for a few hours, a reaction called oxidation might occur. Oxidation is a chemical process in which a substance reacts with oxygen from the air.

In the case of tert-butyl chloride and tert-butyl bromide, both compounds contain a tert-butyl group (CH3)3C-, which is a carbon atom bonded to three methyl (CH3) groups. This tert-butyl group is susceptible to oxidation.

During oxidation, the tert-butyl group can react with oxygen from the air to create a tert-butyl peroxide (CH3)3CO-OOC(CH3)3. This peroxide compound is highly unstable and can decompose into tert-butyl radicals (CH3)3C., which are reactive species.

Once formed, the tert-butyl radicals can react with the halides in the mixture. In the case of tert-butyl chloride and tert-butyl bromide, the tert-butyl radicals can abstract a chlorine or bromine atom from the respective halides, resulting in the formation of HCl or HBr and the corresponding alkyl radical, such as (CH3)3C-Cl or (CH3)3C-Br.

The overall effect of this reaction is a conversion of tert-butyl chloride and tert-butyl bromide into their corresponding alkyl radicals and HCl/HBr. The alkyl radicals can further react with other compounds or undergo other reactions, leading to a change in the ratio of the halide mixture over time.

To determine the specific changes in the ratio of the halide mixture during this time, experimental observations and measurements would be needed. Without specific experimental data, it is difficult to provide exact details about the ratio change.