Supercritical Water

摘要

Chemical reactions in the liquid phase normally require a reaction medium that has physical and chemical properties that decisively influence or even catalyze the conversions of the reagents. The amount of research and development in the area of near- and supercritical liquids, in particular in water, has thus effectively exploded over the last three decades. This development was among others initiated by basic scientific work by E. U. Frank in the 1960s. Based on quantitative high-pressure measurements, his research group was able to show that the properties of water could be modified substantially by variation of temperature and pressure. The conditions for chemical reactions could thus be adjusted without substituting the "green solvent" water with alternatives.