Using screening test data to recognize reactive chemical hazards

The evaluation of reactive hazards is necessary for safe operations in the chemical process industries. An integral aspect of reactive hazard testing is the screening of chemicals to focus experimental efforts on the more hazardous chemicals. Screening is often performed using a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) or the Reactive System Screening Tool (RSST). The study of chemical incompatibility highlights the need for efficient screening techniques, since a large number of experiments must be performed at a reasonable cost and in a short period of time. A purpose of this paper is to present chemical incompatibility data measured using the RSST for di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) in a variety of organic solvents. Analysis of the data with regard to the solvent functional groups was generalized to extend the measured data to compounds for which data are unavailable. Further, a classification for reactive chemicals is proposed that can serve as a guideline for selecting compositions for detailed testing.