Thermal decomposition kinetics and mechanism investigation of cumene hydroperoxide under inert gas: A novel experimental method

Organic peroxides, due to temperature manipulation failure and/or manner disturbances, had been probable to lead to the prevalence of runaway phenomena, even fire, and explosion. Cumene hydroperoxide (CHP), is a traditional liquid organic peroxide for industrial purposes and is applied as a free radical initiator for poly-merization reactions in the petrochemical industry. Its utilization in the industrial processes had certain potential safety hazards. In this work, linearly ramped thermal decomposition in CHP was performed using differential scanning calorimetry under a nitrogen atmosphere. Kinetic analysis is made using data from the ramped mea-surements with two integral strategies (Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose). The gaseous products of thermal decomposition in CHP are investigated via thermal gravimetric evaluation coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Combined with the experimental results, the possible decomposition path of CHP is discussed. This makes up the gap of unclear decomposition mechanism of CHP in inert atmosphere, and has important reference significance for its industrial production and application.

Automated summary

In this study, the thermal decomposition of cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry under a nitrogen atmosphere. Kinetic analysis was performed and the gaseous products of thermal decomposition were analyzed. The possible decomposition path of CHP was discussed, filling the gap of unclear decomposition mechanism in an inert atmosphere and providing important reference for its industrial production and application.