Investigation of thermal instability of benzoyl peroxide in the presence of carbazole and its derivatives

Benzoyl peroxide (BPO), a commonly used organic peroxide, has caused many catastrophes. The thermal characteristics of BPO mixed with carbazole and its derivatives are studied under non-isothermal conditions using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The kinetic parameters are obtained from analysis of the DSC curves by the Kissinger and Ozawa methods. Results indicated that when BPO is mixed with carbazole and N-alkyl carbazole, the hazard increased with lower activity energy (Ea) and exothermic peak (Tp). In the presence of N-alkyl substituted carbazole, the Tp for the decomposition of BPO is reduced to 75 °C, the decomposition procedure becomes more complex than that of pure BPO, and the exothermic decomposition peak in the DSC trace splits into two. In the presence of a cationic cyclopentadinyl iron carbazole complex, the decomposition hazard of BPO does not increase.