INFLUENCE OF THE KINETIC-MODEL ON SIMULATING THE MICROMIXING OF 1-NAPHTHOL AND DIAZOTIZED SULFANILIC ACID

The diazo coupling between 1-naphthol and diazotized sulfanilic acid had earlier been described by a two-reaction kinetic model, neglecting primary coupling in the ortho position. A four-reaction model was recently published removing this simplification and giving new values of rate constants and extinction coefficients. This coupling is fast enough for its product distribution to be strongly influenced by mixing. Depending upon which kinetic model is applied when the micromixing is calculated, different product distributions will be predicted for specified reactor operating conditions and different energy dissipation rates will be deduced from a measured product distribution. It is shown how these differences may be calculated for a semibatch reactor in the limiting case of a slow reactant addition rate. The more comprehensive kinetic model may generally be recommended to describe this coupling.