The thermal decomposition of peroxyacetic nitric anhydride (PAN) and peroxymethacrylic nitric anhydride (MPAN)

The rate coefficients of thermal decomposition of peroxyacetic nitric anhydride (PAN) and peroxymethacrylic nitric anhydride (MPAN) were measured over the temperature range 302–323 K. The resulting Arrhenius expressions were k = 1017.4±0.4 exp(−28.5 ± 0.5/RT) for PAN, and k = 1016.2±0.7 exp(−26.8 ± 1.0/RT) for MPAN, where the activation energy is in Kcal/mol. These results are in good agreement with previous studies of PAN and other PAN‐type compounds, and imply that energies of RC(O)OONO2 bonds are relatively independent of the nature of R.