A New Reaction Calorimeter for Screening Purposes during Process Development

Abstract

Calorimetry, in combination with thermal analysis, is an essential tool for a data-based assessment of thermal risks linked with the performance of chemical reactions at industrial scale. The energies of synthesis reactions or of decomposition reaction as well as the heat capacities of reaction masses can be measured by these techniques. The performance of the differential reaction calorimeter (DRC) from SETARAM in the determination of essential safety data was demonstrated using two example reactions. The differential reaction calorimeter was found to be a powerful screening tool in an organic synthesis laboratory or in a development laboratory, and it is especially well suited for a fast and low-cost determination of the thermal parameters of chemical reactions, even when only a few raw materials are available.