<i>In situ</i> fiber‐optic Raman spectroscopy of organic chemistry in a supercritical water reactor

Abstract

Abstract In situ measurements were made of several organic chemical reactions in supercritical water using fiber‐optic probes, near‐infrared excitation and CCD array detection. The reactions studied include the conversion of cyclohexene to cyclohexane and benzene in the presence of a platinum catalyst, conversion of cyclohexanol to cyclohexene in the presence of a cobalt catalyst and the homopolymerization of styrene. Transition to the supercritical state was marked by a sudden decrease in the background and the appearance of intense Raman bands for dissolved organic compounds. The results indicate that this method of study is both sensitive and rapid enough to permit kinetic measurements, even when reactions are completed in less than 2 min.