Investigation on Pyrolysis and Oxidation of Nitromethane using a Micro Flow Reactor with a Controlled Temperature Profile

Abstract

Pyrolysis and oxidation of CH3NO2 (nitromethane) were investigated using a micro flow reactor with a controlled temperature profile under the wall temperature of 500–1300 K. Measured species data by gas sampling analysis with a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) were compared with the computational results. Two-stage reaction for the pyrolysis of CH3NO2 was observed experimentally and computationally, which corresponds to the decomposition of CH3NO2 at lower temperature and the consumption of hydrocarbon intermediates with NO at high temperature. On oxidation condition ( = 0.5, 1, 2.0), two-stage reaction was also observed, which corresponds to the decomposition of CH3NO2 and the consumption of hydrocarbon intermediates with NO and O2.