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Thermal decomposition of 2‐ethylhexyl nitrate (2‐EHN)
Author(s) -
Bornemann Holger,
Scheidt Friedrich,
Sander Wolfram
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
international journal of chemical kinetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.341
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1097-4601
pISSN - 0538-8066
DOI - 10.1002/kin.10017
Subject(s) - chemistry , decomposition , thermal decomposition , pyrolysis , tetralin , decalin , cetane number , solvent , formaldehyde , analytical chemistry (journal) , organic chemistry , biodiesel , catalysis
The decomposition mechanism of 2‐ethyl‐hexylnitrate (2‐EHN), an important additive to diesel fuel to improve the cetane number, was investigated in solution and in the gas phase. In trans ‐decalin as solvent, an activation barrier for the thermal decomposition of 39 kcal/mol was determined, and thus the decomposition is slow at temperatures below 100°C. Under high pressure conditions (2.4 kbar) the decomposition rates decrease, in accordance with a radical mechanism. Flash vacuum pyrolysis with subsequent detection of the products via mass spectroscopy or matrix IR spectroscopy allows to identify NO 2 , formaldehyde, and several olefins as the major decomposition products. These data allow proposing a consistent mechanistic scheme for the 2‐EHN decay. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 34: 34–38, 2002