The reaction progress of methylene chloride under hydrothermal conditions was pursued using
a corrosion-resistant flow reactor made from titanium tubing, paying attention to minimize the
contribution of the preheating zone for the reaction. The relation between the CH2Cl2 conversion
and residence time showed that the hydrolysis is first order in CH2Cl2. The rate constant
increased monotonically as the temperature was raised but dropped to a large extent above the
critical temperature. A relatively small increase of the rate constant was observed in the presence
of NaCl under 360 °C. The kinetic behavior could be explained based on a SN2 mechanism under
subcritical conditions, and the sudden drop of the rate constant at the critical point was attributed
to the abrupt decrease of the dielectric constant of water. The salt effect was also analyzed
along the same context. The reaction rate and the detailed reaction progress, however, under
supercritical conditions are not yet fully understood.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.