Evaluating the effect of the antimonium pentachloride feed rate to ensure safer conditions during the synthesis of meglumine antimoniate

Pentavalent antimony derivatives, among them meglumine antimoniate, are widely used in antileishmanial therapy. The production of meglumine antimoniate involves an extremely exothermic reaction with antimony pentachloride, which can lead to hazardous situations. Simulation of temperature profiles of highly exothermic reactions is an efficient means of determining optimal experimental conditions that lead to reduced energy consumption and increased safety. The reaction involving SbCl5 addition to an aqueous meglumine solution was studied using an RC1 reaction calorimeter. A mathematical model was developed on the basis of energy balances. The model was used to simulate temperature profiles and to determine optimal operating conditions. The excellent correspondence between the experimental and theoretical results indicates that the mathematical model developed can adequately simulate the temperature profile of highly exothermic reactions.