Study of the Basic Kinetics of Decomposition of MMH and MHF and the Effects of Impurities on Their Stability.
Abstract
The very low pressure pyrolysis of uns-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) was reinvestigated. The condensed phase decomposition task focused upon the reactions of 0.1 M MMH at 319C in hexadecane. The data show considerable scatter, which we attribute to the pressure of trace amounts of some uncontrollable reaction-promoting material--probably oxygen. In other experiments at the same conditions, ullage increases on the order of a factor of three and surface-to-volume increases on the order of a factor of fifty or higher caused minimal changes in both decomposition rate and product nature. The analytical chemistry task has been terminated with the finding that the level of trace organic impurities is a function of the handling history of the MMH sample. Atmospheric oxygen was responsible for the changes, and methane (<100 ppm), ethane (<50 ppm), and azomethane (<50 ppm) were found to be oxygen-generated; sym-dimethylhydrazine (SDMH) was a possible but unconfirmed impurity. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 15, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0867015
Entities
People
- David S. Ross
- Norman A. Kirshen
- Richard K. Solly
Organizations
- SRI International