Ml. Myrick et al., IN-SITU FIBEROPTIC RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY OF ORGANIC-CHEMISTRY IN A SUPERCRITICAL WATER-REACTOR, Journal of Raman spectroscopy, 25(1), 1994, pp. 59-65
In situ measurements were made of several organic chemical reactions i
n supercritical water using fiber-optic probes, near-infrared excitati
on and CCD array detection. The reactions studied include the conversi
on of cyclohexene to cyclohexane and benzene in the presence of a plat
inum catalyst, conversion of cyclohexanol to cyclohexene in the presen
ce of a cobalt catalyst and the homopolymerization of styrene. Transit
ion to the supercritical state was marked by a sudden decrease in the
background and the appearance of intense Raman bands for dissolved org
anic compounds. The results indicate that this method of study is both
sensitive and rapid enough to permit kinetic measurements, even when
reactions are completed in less than 2 min.