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Calorimetric study of the exothermic decomposition of dimethyl sulfoxide
Author(s) -
Brandes B. Todd,
Smith Daniel K.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
process safety progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.378
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1547-5913
pISSN - 1066-8527
DOI - 10.1002/prs.11802
Subject(s) - exothermic reaction , dimethyl sulfoxide , decomposition , hazardous waste , thermal decomposition , solvent , chemistry , chemical decomposition , calorimetry , sulfoxide , process engineering , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , materials science , waste management , engineering , thermodynamics , physics
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a widely used solvent often employed for a variety of organic syntheses. It is stable at room temperature, can dissolve many types of organic materials, and is miscible in water. However, upon heating in a closed system under conditions typically achievable in a commercial chemical plant, DMSO undergoes significantly exothermic and hazardous decomposition which could realistically lead to a pressure vessel explosion unless adequate protection layers were installed, possibly including a pressure relief system. This study provides calorimetry data from several apparatus and methods to characterize the decomposition to aid in assessing hazards and designing protection systems. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 35: 374–391, 2016