The dimerization of cyclopentadiene - a test reaction for the kinetic analysis of DSC measurements and the performance of a kinetic evaluation program

The formal kinetic description of partially very complex reactions is being increasingly used for the analysis of DSC measurements. Before one begins, one should check with the help of "kinetic calibration" whether the available measurement and analysis technique has provided correct results. Only then will the predictions deduced for the reaction behaviour under reaction conditions different to the measurement be meaningful and reliable. Contrary to the situation in the temperature, heat and heat-flow calibrations, there is a shortage of test reactions which are simple, well known and in particular, suitable for the DSC measurement technique. However, this type of test reaction which fulfils the above requirements, has been discovered in the dimerization of cyclopentadiene and a description of the measurement and kinetic analysis follows. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.