Adiabaticcalorimetry and thermal analysis on acetaminophen

Molar heat capacities of acetaminophen were precisely measured with a small sample precision automated adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from 80 to 330 K. A solid-solid transition at 149.96 K was found from the C_p,m-T curve. The polynomial functions of C_p,.m(J K^-1 mol^-1) vs. T were established on the heat capacity measurements by means of the least square fitting method. Thermal decomposition processes of acetaminophen have been studied by thermogravimetry. And the thermal decomposition kinetics parameters, such as activation energy E, pre-exponential factor A and reaction order n, were calculated by TG-DTG techniques with the Freeman-Carroll method, Kissinger method and Ozawa method. Accordingly the thermal decomposition kinetics equation of acetaminophen is expressed as: dα/dt=2.67·10⁷e^-89630/RT(1-α)^0.23. The process of fusion has been investigated through DSC. The melting point, molar enthalpy and entropy of fusion are to be (441.89±0.04) K, 26.49±0.44 kJ mol^-1 and 59.80±1.01 J K^-1 mol^-1, respectively.