Gas-phase condensation of tert-butyl cations with Lewis bases

t-Butyl cations, obtained in the dilute gas phase from the radiolysis of neopentane, react with H2O, MeOH, and EtOH giving high yields of the condensation products, t-butyl alcohol, t-butyl methyl ether, and t-butyl ethyl ether respectively; the relative rates of the condensations with H2O and MeOH, and of proton transfer to NH3, are very similar in gaseous neopentane at atmospheric pressure.