This paper reports a linear relationship between kinetic characteristics fr
om the Arrhenius equation describing a decomposition process found when stu
dying the kinetics of thermolysis of spatially hindered phenols. This relat
ionship between the coefficients is known in the literature as a 'compensat
ion effect'. The existence of the compensation effect permits some conclusi
ons concerning the decomposition mechanism and thermal characteristics of t
he compounds under investigation.