Determination of the Kinetic Parameters of Chemical Reactions on the Basis of Non-Isothermal Measurements A critical review

A detailed analysis is presented of the applicability of several dependences commonly used for the determination of activation energies from non-isothermal measurements. Reactions proceeding according to different kinetic equations are simulated and the validity of the activation energy values obtained is discussed. The general conclusion is drawn that none of the examined dependences should be used to determine the activation energy. For a rough estimation of activation energy, the Kissinger equation can be applied according to Ockham's razor. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.