Real-Time Thermal Imaging of Fast Exothermic Reactions Involving the Hazardous Combination of Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide and Inorganic Acids

Abstract

The vigorous, exothermic decomposition of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) can be stimulated by acids, metals, or heat, and the initial stage is critical to runaway reactions. Real-time thermal data are important in the evaluation of the hazards of fast reactions during the initial stage. We report the first real-time observation of the reaction of MEKPO with inorganic acids using a thermal imaging camera (TIC), which we used to determine the rate of heat evolution and to recognize the degree of the hazard present during accidents. In addition, ab initio computational methods were used to estimate the thermokinetic parameters for the proposed reaction mechanisms. The results indicated that the temperature of the solution, the concentration of the acid, and the dehydration ability were the primary factors that affected the thermal reaction. This work provides a new method to study thermal chemistry and to evaluate thermal hazards

Organische Synthese: Vormarsch der Maschinen

“…In einer anderen Arbeit wurde darüber berichtet, wie die exotherme Zersetzung von Methylethylketonperoxid durch anorganische Säuren mit einer Thermographiekamera untersucht wurde 49. Mit Lösungen von H 2 SO 4 , HCl und HNO 3 wurde die Reaktion durch Zersetzung des Peroxids initiiert, ein Prozess, der sich über freie Radikale fortsetzt.…”

Organic Synthesis: March of the Machines

“…In another study, the use of a thermographic camera to monitor the exothermic decomposition of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide by inorganic acids was reported 49. Solutions of H 2 SO 4 , HCl and HNO 3 were used to initiate this process through the decomposition of the peroxide molecule, a process which was propagated by free radicals.…”

A New World for Chemical Synthesis?

“…Thermal imaging can detect rapid changes in reaction temperatures in real-time, providing feedback that can be harnessed for hazard control. [28] The rise of importance of precompetitive research has led to extensive development of open source technologies, which facilitates simple propagation of new ideas between research teams. Recent reports have harnessed open-source ideas to aid with multiphasic reaction execution, [29] downstream processing of crude reaction mixtures [30] and combining multiple unit operations together for more advanced applications of reaction automation.…”

“…[28] The rise of importance of precompetitive research has led to extensive development of open source technologies, which facilitates simple propagation of new ideas between research teams. Recent reports have harnessed open-source ideas to aid with multiphasic reaction execution, [29] downstream processing of crude reaction mixtures [30] and combining multiple unit operations together for more advanced applications of reaction automation. [31] We believe that inexpensive computer control devices, such as the Raspberry Pi and Arduino systems, [32] will fuel adoption of these new enabling techniques, further enhancing the open-source community by direct feedback from different sectors.…”