The uncertainty regarding temperature and
flow conditions which attaches to the conventional flow method of determining
the rate of a gaseous reaction can be substantially reduced by using a
stirred-flow reactor. The reagents, products, and carrier-gas (if any) are
mixed sufficiently vigorously for the composition of the gas in the reactor to
be virtually uniform. A reactor designed to achieve the required degree of
mixing at pressures of about 1 cmHg and reaction times of the order of 1 sec to
1 min is described.
The rate constant of the decomposition of
di-t-butyl peroxide was determined over the temperature range 430-550 �K. The
values derived on the assumption of complete mixing in the reactor were
independent of the degree of conversion and in excellent agreement with those
obtained by previous authors using the static method.
