study represents a mathematical procedure for the kinetic analysis of
naphthalene sulfonation using sulfuric acid at molar ratios ranging fr
om 0.7 to 1.5 and reaction temperatures from 115 to 180-degrees-C. The
overall sulfonation comprises many consecutive, parallel, and reversi
ble reactions. Representative samples of the reaction mixture are anal
yzed by high-performance liquid chromatography for quantitative evalua
tion of the sulfonic acid isomers produced and by alkalimetric determi
nation of acidity. The model suggested includes the concentration of t
he five components in the reaction mixture, considering five reactions
. The kinetic parameters for these reactions are estimated for ''best
fit'' of the experimental data by the weighted least squares method ba
sed on minimizing the deviation between measured data and those calcul
ated according to the model. This model describes fairly well the proc
ess kinetic through the evaluated parameters. It is observed from the
results that, with respect to the yield of the target (beta-sulfonic a
cid), the optimum reaction temperature is 170-degrees-C for equimolar
acid to naphthalene ratio.