Kinetics and Mechanism of Ethylene Oxide Decomposition at High Temperatures

In a new flow reactor designed for the study of reaction kinetics at high temperatures, the rates of decomposition of ethylene oxide were measured to temperatures approaching its adiabatic decomposition point (∼1200°K). This device is unique in that it follows the reaction process, not by a freezing technique usually employed in flow systems, but by tracing the temperature history of the reaction. The ethylene oxide decomposition study showed that the kinetics followed an over-all first-order mechanism and the over-all activation energy was 42±2 kcal/mole. The results were found to be independent of the amount of fuel injected, the velocity of the inert carrier gas, and the inert gas itself. A free radical decomposition mechanism consistent with the experimental results is postulated.