The kinetics and mechanism of the hydration of magnesium oxide in a batch reactor

The kinetics of the reaction between water and MgO powders has been investigated at 9°, 18°, 28° and 38°C in a stirred batch reactor. Six commercial samples of MgO prepared from Mg(OH) 2 plus two of unknown origin, with specific surface areas of 12 to 80 m g /g, were studied. After correcting for particle size distribution, the rate of reaction was found to be directly proportional to the surface area contained in a shell at the surface of the particles. The activation energy is 14.1 ± 0.2 kcal/g‐mole indicating chemical reaction as the rate controlling process. A reaction mechanism has been proposed./