THE THERMAL DEGRADIATION OF NITROCELLULOSE IN MIXED ACID

摘要

The thermal degradation of nitrocellulose in a solution of acid mixture was studied in order to know the condition of safety production of nitrocellulose prepared by means of nitration of cellulose with mixtures of nitric acid and sulphoic acid. Isothermal degradation tests were carried out at the temperature little higher than a nitration temperature in manufacturing. The resalts obtained are as follows. Nitrocellulose in acid mixture caused an exothermic degradation after a induction period, which was affected by the reaction temperature. This degradation shows a maximum rate in the middle of the reaction indicating the reaction as autocatalytic. Activation energy Ea obtained by Arrehenius plots of the rate constants from autocatalytic rate equation, was 77 ～ 97 kJ/mol. Moreover, plots of logarithm of induction period t to the inverse of reaction temperature also gave a good linearity according to the Arrhenyus type equation and obtained Ea was 80 ～ 91 kJ/mol.