Kinetic study on methyl nitrite synthesis from methanol and dinitrogen trixiode

The kinetics of synthesizing methyl nitrite via the gas–liquid reaction of N2O3 with methanol was studied in a double-stirred cell reactor with a plane, horizontal gas–liquid interface, in the temperature range of 278–298 K. Since N2O3 is stable only below 0 °C, a mixture of NO and NO2 with the ratio of 1:1 behaves chemically like N2O3 and replaces it. The Henry's constants and diffusion coefficients of NO and NO2 in the liquid phase were estimated, and it was found that the generating rate of methyl nitrite was only affected by the partial pressure of NO in the gas phase. The reaction between N2O3 and methanol was fast pseudo-first order, and a kinetic equation was obtained as follows:RMN=2PNOHNOC0DNO×6.546×109 exp−57,416RT×C0