Kinetics and Mechanism of Ethylene Oxide Decomposition at High Temperatures
- 1 August 1959
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in The Journal of Chemical Physics
- Vol. 31 (2) , 506-510
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1730385
Abstract
In a new flow reactor designed for the study of reaction kinetics at high temperatures, the rates of decomposition of ethylene oxide were measured to temperatures approaching its adiabatic decomposition point (∼1200°K). This device is unique in that it follows the reaction process, not by a freezing technique usually employed in flow systems, but by tracing the temperature history of the reaction. The ethylene oxide decomposition study showed that the kinetics followed an over‐all first‐order mechanism and the over‐all activation energy was 42±2 kcal/mole. The results were found to be independent of the amount of fuel injected, the velocity of the inert carrier gas, and the inert gas itself. A free radical decomposition mechanism consistent with the experimental results is postulated.Keywords
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