Rapid oxidation

It is one of the most reactive and electropositive of metals. Except for lithium, it is the lightest known metal. It is soft, easily cut with a knife, and is silvery in appearance immediately after a fresh surface is exposed. It rapidly oxidizes in air and must be preserved in a mineral oil such as kerosene. 

The element is a steel gray, very brittle, crystalline, semimetallic solid it tarnishes in air, and when heated is rapidly oxidized to arsenous oxide with the odor of garlic. Arsenic and its compounds are poisonous. 

Pure holmium has a metallic to bright silver luster. It is relatively soft and malleable, and is stable in dry air at room temperature, but rapidly oxidizes in moist air and at elevated temperatures. The metal has unusual magnetic properties. Few uses have yet been found for the element. The element, as with other rare earths, seems to have a low acute toxic rating. 

Industrial materials without sufficient scaling resistance frequendy fail after a short period of time as a result of rapid oxidation or hot corrosion, in conjunction with severe spalling owing to poor adherence of the scale to the metallic component. As a result, the permissible limits of metal loss often are exceeded and expensive, and premature replacement of parts is requited. Extensive efforts are made to develop alloys which are not simply strong at elevated temperatures but which also possess the adequate surface stabiUty. 

Methyl ethyl ketone, a significant coproduct, seems likely to arise in large part from the termination reactions of j -butylperoxy radicals by the Russell mechanism (eq. 15, where R = CH and R = CH2CH2). Since alcohols oxidize rapidly vs paraffins, the j -butyl alcohol produced (eq. 15) is rapidly oxidized to methyl ethyl ketone. Some of the j -butyl alcohol probably arises from hydrogen abstraction by j -butoxy radicals, but the high efficiency to ethanol indicates this is a minor source. 

Copper and silver combined with refractory metals, such as tungsten, tungsten carbide, and molybdenum, are the principal materials for electrical contacts. A mixture of the powders is pressed and sintered, or a previously pressed and sintered refractory matrix is infiltrated with molten copper or silver in a separate heating operation. The composition is controlled by the porosity of the refractory matrix. Copper—tungsten contacts are used primarily in power-circuit breakers and transformer-tap charges. They are confined to an oil bath because of the rapid oxidation of copper in air. Copper—tungsten carbide compositions are used where greater mechanical wear resistance is necessary. 

A problem associated with the use of abrasive metal poHshes is that the fresh metal, which has been exposed by the cleaning, rapidly oxidizes or tarnishes. Thus, many modem poHshes contain inhibitors. Sulfur compounds, eg, alkyl benzyl thiols, commonly are used, as are mercapto esters such as lauryl thioglycolate [3746-39-2] and dialkyldisulfides (52—54). 

Wet chlorination is performed by sparging slimes slurried either in water or hydrochloric acid using chlorine gas, or other oxidants such as sodium chlorate or hydrogen peroxide which Hberate chlorine from hydrochloric acid, at about 100°C. Under these conditions, selenium and selenides rapidly oxidize and dissolve. 

The oxidation of vitreous siUca appears to proceed by one of two mechanisms, depending on the material s hydroxyl content (109,111). In hydroxyl-containing material, the rapid oxidation probably occurs by the diffusion and removal of hydrogen, according to the following reaction ... 

Chemical Properties. Anhydrous sodium sulfite is stable in dry air at ambient temperatures or at 100°C, but in moist air it undergoes rapid oxidation to sodium sulfate [7757-82-6]. On heating to 600°C, sodium sulfite disproportionates to sodium sulfate and sodium sulfide [1313-82-2]. Above 900°C, the decomposition products are sodium oxide and sulfur dioxide. At 600°C, it forms sodium sulfide upon reduction with carbon (332). 

Beryllium Nitride. BeryUium nitride [1304-54-7], Be N2, is prepared by the reaction of metaUic beryUium and ammonia gas at 1100°C. It is a white crystalline material melting at 2200°C with decomposition. The sublimation rate becomes appreciable in a vacuum at 2000°C. Be2N2 is rapidly oxidized by air at 600°C and like the carbide is hydrolyzed by moisture. The oxide forms on beryllium metal in air at elevated temperatures, but in the absence of oxygen, beryllium reacts with nitrogen to form the nitride. When hot pressing mixtures of beryUium nitride and sUicon nitride, Si N, at 1700°C, beryllium sUicon nitride [12265-44-0], BeSiN2, is obtained. BeSiN2 may have appHcation as a ceramic material. 

Cadmium is rapidly oxidized by hot dilute nitric acid with the simultaneous generation of various oxides of nitrogen. Unlike the ziac ion, the cadmium ion is not markedly amphoteric, and therefore cadmium hydroxide [21041-95-2] Cd(OH)2, is virtually iasoluble ia alkaline media. However, the cadmium ion forms stable complexes with ammonia as well as with cyanide and haUde ions. The metal is not attacked by aqueous solutions of alkaU hydroxide. 

Oxidative Garbonylation. Carbon monoxide is rapidly oxidized to carbon dioxide however, under proper conditions, carbon monoxide and oxygen react with organic molecules to form carboxyUc acids or esters. With olefins, unsaturated carboxyUc acids are produced, whereas alcohols yield esters of carbonic or oxalic acid. The formation of acryUc and methacrylic acid is carried out in the Hquid phase at 10 MPa (100 atm) and 110°C using palladium chloride or rhenium chloride catalysts (eq. 19) (64,65). 

The intermediate HCIO2 is rapidly oxidized to chloric acid. Some chlorine dioxide may also be formed. Kinetic studies have shown that decomposition to O2 and chloric acid increase with concentration, temperature (88), and exposure to light (89—92), and are pH dependent (93). Decomposition to O2 is also accelerated by catalysts, and decomposition to chlorate is favored by the presence of other electrolytes, eg, sodium chloride (94—96). 

In the presence of a trace of iron or nickel oxide, rapid oxidation occurs when cyanide is heated in air, first to cyanate and then to carbonate ... 

Sulfur Dyes. These are a special case of vat dyes and behave in an analogous manner except that the reducing agent used is sodium sulfide. In order to obtain rapid oxidation chemical oxidizing agents are used. The main outlet for these dyes is in the economic production of navy and black shades on woven fabrics by continuous dyeing, often applying the pre-reduced form of the sulfur dye. 

Pyrrolethiols, readily obtained from the corresponding thiocyanates by reduction or treatment with alkali, rapidly oxidize to the corresponding disulfides. They are converted into thioethers by reaction with alkyl halides in the presence of base. Both furan- and thiophene-thiols exist predominantly as such rather than in tautomeric thione forms. 

Combustion Many organic compounds released from manufacturing operations can be converted to innocuous carbon dioxide and water by rapid oxidation (chemical reaction) combustion. However, combustion of gases containing halides may require the addition of acid gas treatment to the combustor exhaust. 

Three rapid oxidation methods are typically used to destroy combustible contaminants (1) flares (direct-fiame-combnstion), (2) thermal combustors, and (3) catalytic combustors. The thermal and flare methods are characterized by the presence of a flame during combustion. The combustion process is also commonly referred to as afterburning or incineration. ... 

The ferrous hydroxide is rapidly oxidized to ferric hydroxide in oxygenated waters (Reaction 5.5) ... 

Basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs) have largely replaced open hearth furnaces for steelmaking. A water-cooled oxygen lance is used to blow high-purity oxygen into the molten metal bath. This causes violent agitation and rapid oxidation of the carbon, impurities, and some of the iron. The reaction is exothermic, and an entire heat cycle requires only 30-50 min. The atmospheric emissions from the BOF process are listed in Table 30-16. 

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