The pioneering work on the chemical applications of ultrasound (I) was conducted in the 1920's by Richards and Loomis in their classic survey of the effects of high-frequency sound waves (>280 kHz) on a variety of solutions, solids, and pure liquids (2). These studies showed that ultrasound accelerates a broad ranee of transformations such as the dispersion of mercury, th;: degassing of liquids, the explosion of nitrogen triiodide, the flocculation of silver chloride, the depression of the boiling temperatures of liquids, the hydrolvsis of dimethvlsulfate, and the iodine clock reaction.-In spite of the diversity of the chemical effects of ultrasonic waves discovered by Richards and Loomis, research since then has been sparse and uneven. For the most part, the emphases have heen on inorganic reactions, in particular aqueous solutions, and in nearly all cases the systems were homogeneous. Also, the sonicators used by the various research erouns were often auite different in confieuration and -.delivered differenr frequencies, intensities,and wattages.To comolirate the matter further. little was known of the roleoi thesk variables in affecting reaction rates. As a result, there are few generalizations upon which a new investigator can rely, and sonochemistry, in particular preparative sonochemistry, must he considered an area that is in its earliest stages and in need of much further study.One of the points on which there is general agreement is that, in order to produce a chemical effect in liquids using ultrasonic waves, sufficient energy must he imparted to the liquid to cause cavitation, i.e., the formation and collapse of bubbles in the solvent medium and the consequent release of enerw. When ultrasonic waves are oassed through a medium, i i e particles experience oscillati'ons that l e a l t o regions of compression and rarefaction. The negative pressure in the rarefaction region gives rise to the formation of bubbles, that mav he filled with a eas. the vapor of the liauid, or may he almost empty depenbing on the pressure a n d the forces holdina the liauid together.strictly defined, cavitation refers only t o the completely evacuated bubble or cavitv, a true void, hut, since dissolved gases are present unless Special steps are taken to remove themand, since thevapor of the liquid can also penetrate the cavity, the term cavitation most often encompasses the three kinds of bubbles.The collapse of these bubbles, caused by the compression region of the ultrasonic wave, produces powerful shock waves that are resoonsible for well-known processes such as cleaning, dispersion, and the erosion of metals. The energy output in the reaion of the collapsine bubble is considerable,
. -with estimatesbf 2-3000°C and pressures in the kiloha; range for time Deriods in the nanosecond region (3). In summary, the cavitation process generates a transitory highenergy environment. These forces are responsible for the well-known commercial processes of ultrasonic cleaning, dispersion, and pasteurization as well as the efficiency of u...