title: Thermal decomposition of acetic anhydride-nitric acid mixtures.
abstract: The adoption of Ac2O/HNO3 mixtures for the nitration of organics or the preparation of nitric esters is not free from some risks of explosion. The behaviour of these mixtures at varying Ac2O/HNO3 molar ratios is studied by means of adiabatic and scanning calorimetry. A simplified kinetic model, based on two lumped reactions (one of which leads to the formation of tetranitromethane) is developed to simulate the thermal decomposition of the investigated system under adiabatic conditions. The use of this model allows satisfactory prediction of the temperature profiles in the reactor whereas calculated pressures are generally overestimated due to some model inadequacies to account for the absorption of gaseous decomposition products into the reacting solution.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Universita' di Napoli "Federico II", Facolta' di Ingegneria Chimica, P.le V. Tecchio, 80-80125 Naples, Italy. andreo@irc.na.cnr.it
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andreozzi
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marotta
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sanchirico
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000089:Acetic Anhydrides / Q000737:chemistry*; D005107:Explosions; D005544:Forecasting; D005740:Gases; D007700:Kinetics; D017942:Nitric Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000089:Acetic Anhydrides; D005740:Gases; C031800:acetic anhydride; D017942:Nitric Acid