Reaction thermodynamics of amine‐cured epoxy systems: Validation of the enthalpy and heat capacity of reaction as determined by modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry

The reaction enthalpy and reaction heat capacity of three aromatic epoxy–amine systems have been determined with modulated temperature diffential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC), mostly in quasi‐isothermal conditions, over a wide temperature range (33–140 °C) and for different mixture compositions. The reaction enthalpy is only slightly dependent on the epoxy–amine chemistry, from ?111 to ?98 kJ/mol epoxy functionality. With the model system phenyl glycidyl ether (PGE)+aniline, the reaction enthalpy of the secondary amine–epoxy reaction step is equal to that of the primary amine–epoxy reaction. Group contributions needed to calculate the reaction heat capacity with an additivity approach are evaluated, and a new value of 37.2 J mol^?1 K^?1 for the group N? (H)(C)(CB) is proposed. With this group contribution, the additivity method predicts almost equal values for the reaction heat capacity of both amine–epoxy reaction steps at 298.15 K (Δ_rC_p,prim = 15.7 J mol^?1 K^?1 and Δ_rC_p,sec = 14.6 J mol^?1 K^?1), whereas the experimental value of Δ_rC_p,sec is about three times larger than that of Δ_rC_p,prim at 100 °C. These results are confirmed experimentally for PGE+aniline as a different temperature dependence of both reaction heat capacities. MTDSC therefore is potentially interesting for differentiating between reactive species in an epoxy–amine reaction, a benefit previously assigned to spectroscopic methods only. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 594–608, 2003     

Critical evaluation of global mechanisms of wood devolatilization

Thermogravimetric data on the devolatilization rate of beech wood are re-examined with the aim of incorporating the effects of high heating rates (up to 108 K min⁻¹) in the global kinetics. The mechanism consisting of three independent parallel reactions, first-order in the amount of volatiles released from pseudo-components with chief contributions from hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin, is considered first. It is found that the set of activation energies estimated by Gronli et al. [M.G. Gronli, G. Varhegyi, C. Di Blasi, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 41 (2002) 4201-4208] (100, 236 and 46 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively) for one slow heating rate results in very high deviations between predicted and measured rate curves. The agreement is significantly improved by a new set of data consisting of activation energies of 147, 193 and 181 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. In this case, the overlap is reduced between the reaction rates of the three pseudo-components whose chemical composition is also modified. In particular, instead of a slow decomposition rate over a broad range of temperatures, the activity of the third reaction is mainly explicated along the high-temperature (tail) region of the weight loss curves. The performances of more simplified mechanisms are also evaluated. One-step mechanisms, using literature values for the kinetic constants, produce large errors on either the conversion time (activation energy of 103 kJ mol⁻¹) or the maximum devolatilization rate (activation energy of 149 kJ mol⁻¹). On the other hand, these parameters are well predicted by two parallel reactions, with activation energies of 147 and 149 kJ mol⁻¹.     

Synthesis, heat capacity and enthalpy of formation of [Ho2(l-Glu)2(H2O)8](ClO4)4·H2O

A complex of holmium perchlorate coordinated with l-glutamic acid, [Ho₂(l-Glu)₂(H₂O)₈](ClO₄)₄·H₂O, was prepared with a purity of 98.96%. The compound was characterized by chemical, elemental and thermal analysis. Heat capacities of the compound were determined by automated adiabatic calorimetry from 78 to 370 K. The dehydration temperature is 350 K. The dehydration enthalpy and entropy are 16.34 kJ mol⁻¹ and 16.67 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, respectively. The standard enthalpy of formation is −6474.6 kJ mol⁻¹ from reaction calorimetry at 298.15 K.     

Quasi-equilibrated temperature programmed desorption and adsorption: A new method for determination of the isosteric adsorption heat

Temperature programmed desorption and adsorption (TPDA) studied under quasi-equilibrium conditions using typical flow TPD setup equipped with a chromatographic TCD detector has been found a good method of obtaining the equilibrium data characterizing adsorption of n-hexane on high silica HZSM-5 and HY zeolites. The equilibrium control of sorption has been confirmed by linearity of the isosters constructed from the TPDA profiles. For HZSM-5 it was corroborated by very good agreement obtained in fitting the experimental data with the model based on the dual site Langmuir (DSL) adsorption function. The values of the adsorption enthalpy and entropy, either determined from the adsorption isosters or as the fitted model parameters, were close to the literature data. Increase of the isosteric adsorption heat of hexane with coverage was observed for both zeolites (72-90 kJ mol⁻¹ for HZSM-5 and 46-61 kJ mol⁻¹ for HY).     

Curing kinetics of arylamine-based polyfunctional benzoxazine resins by dynamic differential scanning calorimetry

In this study, the curing kinetics of polyfunctional benzoxazine resins based on arylamine, i.e. aniline and 3,5-xylidine, designated as BA-a and BA-35x, respectively, were investigated. Non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at different heating rates is used to determine the kinetic parameters and the kinetic models of the curing processes of the arylamine-based polyfunctional benzoxazine resins were proposed. Kissinger, Ozawa, Friedman, and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa methods were utilized to determine the kinetic parameters of the curing reaction. BA-a resin shows only one dominant autocatalytic curing process with the average activation energy of 81-85 kJ mol⁻¹, whereas BA-35x exhibits two dominant curing processes signified by the clear split of the curing exotherms. The average activation energies of low-temperature curing (reaction (1)) and high-temperature curing (reaction (2)) were found to be 81-87 and 111-113 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The reaction (1) is found to be autocatalytic in nature, while the reaction (2) exhibits nth-order curing kinetics. In addition, the predicted curves from our kinetic models fit well with the non-isothermal DSC thermogram.     

Calorimetric determination of enthalpy changes for the proton ionization of glycine, N,N-bis(2-hyroxyethyl)glycine (“bicine”) and N-tris(hydroxymethyl)methylglycine (“tricine”) in water-methanol mixtures

Enthalpies for the two proton ionizations of glycine, N,N-bis(2-hyroxyethyl)glycine (“bicine”) and N-tris(hydroxymethyl)methylglycine (“tricine”) were obtained in water-methanol mixtures with methanol mole fraction (X_m) from 0 to 0.360. With increasing methanol the ionization enthalpy for the first proton (ΔH₁) of glycine increased from 4.4 to 9.4 kJ mol⁻¹ with a minimum of 4.1 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.059. The ionization enthalpy of the second proton (ΔH₂) for glycine decreased from 46.3 to 38.1 kJ mol⁻¹. ΔH₁ of bicine increased from 3.5 to 7.6 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.273 before dropping to 4.1 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.360. ΔH₂ of bicine increased from 24.9 to 29.4 kJ mol⁻¹. For tricine, ΔH₁ increased from 6.7 to 9.8 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.194 then dropped to 7.4 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.360. ΔH₂ for tricine first dropped from 30.8 to 28.5 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.059 before increasing to 33.3 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.273. The solvent composition was selected so as to include the region of maximum structure enhancement of water by methanol. The results were interpreted in terms of solvent-solvent and solvent-solute interactions.     

Isoconversional kinetic analysis of stoichiometric and off-stoichiometric epoxy-amine cures

The curing reaction of stoichiometric and off-stoichiometric diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and 1,3-phenylene diamine (m-PDA) mixtures was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and rheological measurements. In order to highlight the side reactions such as etherification and homopolymerization, the neat DGEBA and DGEBA/DMBA (N,N-dimethylbenzylamine) mixture were examined. The classical model-fitting and the advanced isoconversional methods were used to determine the activation energy of the different reactions. The advanced isoconversional method leads to a good agreement between isothermal, nonisothermal and rheological results. The effective activation energies of primary amine epoxy reaction, etherification and homopolymerization were estimated to about 55-60, 104 and 170 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively.     

Acyl radical addition to benzene and related systems—a computational study

The addition of the acetyl radical to benzene, aniline, trifluoromethylbenzene and naphthalene has been investigated using DFT calculations. Addition to benzene is calculated to have an energy barrier of 63.6 kJ mol⁻¹ at the BHandHLYP/6-311G(d,p)+ZPE level of theory. This reaction is associated with simultaneous SOMO→π^∗ and π→SOMO interactions with the latter interaction dominating, suggesting that acetyl reacts predominantly as an electrophilic radical in its interaction with benzene. Addition to the ortho and para positions of aniline is calculated to be slightly less favourable, while attack at the meta position is predicted to be unaffected in relation to the chemistry involving benzene. Inclusion of the electron-withdrawing substituent, trifluoromethyl, is predicted to accelerate reactions slightly at the ortho and para positions, while attack at the C1 position of naphthalene is calculated to involve a barrier of 50.3 kJ mol⁻¹ (BHandHLYP/6-311G(d,p)+ZPE).     

Calorimetric determination of enthalpy changes for proton ionization of N-[2-hydroxyethyl]piperazine-N′-[2-ethane sulfonic acid] (HEPES) and N-[2-hydroxyethyl]piperazine-N′-[2-hydroxypropane sulfonic acid] (HEPPSO) in water-methanol mixtures

Enthalpies for the two proton ionizations of the biochemical buffers N-[2-hydroxyethyl]piperazine-N′-[2-ethane sulfonic acid] (HEPES) and N-[2-hydroxyethyl]piperazine-N′-[2-hydroxypropane sulfonic acid] (HEPPSO) were obtained in water-methanol mixtures with methanol mole fraction (X_m) from 0 to 0.360. With increasing methanol, the ionization enthalpy for the first proton (ΔH₁) of HEPES increased steadily from 8.4 to 15.3 kJ mol⁻¹ whereas that for HEPPSO rose to a maximum of 21.0 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.123 before dropping to 18.4 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.360. The ionization enthalpy for the second proton (ΔH₂) of HEPES varied from 20.8 kJ mol⁻¹ in water to 13.6 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.360 with a maximum of 24.8 kJ mol⁻¹ at X_m = 0.194. For HEPPSO, ΔH₂ increased steadily from 23.4 to 29.2 kJ mol⁻¹. The solvent composition was selected so as to include the region of maximum structure enhancement of water by methanol. The results were interpreted in terms of solvent-solvent and solvent-solute interactions.     

Thermal properties and stability of cassava starch films cross-linked with tetraethylene glycol diacrylate

The thermal stability of starch cross-linked with tetraethylene glycol diacrylate was studied under nitrogen atmosphere by thermogravimetry (TG) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The cross-linking reaction was confirmed by the increase in intensity of the absorption band at ca. 3330 cm⁻¹ indicating the reinforcement of hydrogen bonds and the appearance of a new band at 1726 cm⁻¹ associated with the carbonyl group of the cross-linking agent. After cross-linking the solubility of starch in water decreased to the range 9%-16%. The thermogravimetric curves of pure and cross-linked starches showed an initial stage of degradation (up to ca. 150 °C) associated with the loss of water. The main stage of degradation occurred in the range 250-400 °C corresponding to ca. 60%-70% mass loss. The activation energy (E) for the degradation process increased from 145 kJ mol⁻¹ (pure starch) to 195 kJ mol⁻¹ and 198 kJ mol⁻¹ for starch treated for 60 min by UV (30 °C) and at 90 °C, suggesting high stability after cross-linking. A higher value (240 kJ mol⁻¹) was obtained for starch treated by UV for 120 min. The main volatile products determined by FTIR which correspond to hydrocarbons and carbonyl groups are apparently associated with the scission of weak bonds in the chain (probably branched groups) and the scission of stronger bonds (glycosidic linkages), respectively.     

Structural aspects of high temperature thermosets - Bismaleimide/propargyl terminated resin system-polymerization and degradation studies

Bispropargyl ether of bisphenol-A (BPEBPA), 4,4′-bismaleimido diphenyl ether (BMIE) and a blend consisting 60 mol% of BPEBPA and 40 mol% of BMIE are prepared. The materials are structurally characterized by FTIR. The curing characteristics of the monomers are measured by FTIR and DSC. The results indicated that BPEBPA-BMIE blend has low ΔH_cure (J g⁻¹) for the thermal polymerization and the whole temperature window for the exothermic curing reaction is shifted to lower temperature compared to BPEBPA. Borchardt and Daniels method is used to study the cure kinetics of the materials. The thermal curing of BMIE requires activation energy of 156.0 kJ mol⁻¹ whereas BPEBPA needs slightly higher activation energy (177.2 kJ mol⁻¹). From the TG studies, it can be concluded that the cured BPEBPA exhibits higher thermal stability than the cured BMIE due to the more complex network structure that are formed during thermal polymerization of BPEBPA. Dharwadkar and Kharkhanavala equation is employed to calculate the activation energy needed for the thermal degradation of the thermally cured materials. BPEBPA shows much higher activation energy (65.5 kJ mol⁻¹) for thermal degradation indicating the higher thermal stability over the other two materials (BMIE: 42.5 kJ mol⁻¹ and BPEBPA-BMIE blend: 46.9 kJ mol⁻¹). The isothermal degradation of cured materials is effected in nitrogen atmosphere for constant time interval (10 min). The detailed analysis of the degradation products by GC-MS revealed the formation of phenols and several substituted phenols. This finding hints that the competitive C-C and C-O scissions of the chromene ring units formed via the Claisen rearrangement of the aryl propargyl ether system present in BPEBPA is operative.     

Reaction between carbon dioxide and elementary fluorine

Reactions between carbon dioxide and fluorine were examined at temperatures of 303-523 K under various pressure and mixture ratios of both gases. Reactions were carried out similarly under the existence of NaF, CsF and EuF₃.After the reaction, fluorine was removed and the reaction products were analyzed using FT-IR, GC/FT-IR and GC/MS. The major products were CF₃OF, COF₂, CF₄ and CF₂(OF)₂.The best yield of COF₂ was 11.1% under the reaction condition of CO₂/F₂ = 76 kPa/76 kPa with temperature of 498 K for 72 h in a direct reaction. The formation rate of COF₂ in the direct reaction was estimated as 0.232 dm³ mol⁻¹ h⁻¹ under the reaction conditions of CO₂/F₂ = 76 kPa/76 kPa, at 498 K. In the presence of CsF, it was estimated as 1.88 dm³ mol⁻¹ h⁻¹ at CO₂/F₂ = 76 kPa/76 kPa at 498 K.The activation energy of the COF₂ formation in the direct reaction was estimated as 45.7 kJ mol⁻¹ at CO₂/F₂ = 76 kPa/76 kPa at 498 K. In addition, 24.2 and 38.9 kJ mol⁻¹ were evaluated at CO₂/F₂ = 76 kPa/76 kPa at 498 K, respectively, in the presence of CsF and EuF₃.     

Thermodynamic properties of the gaseous barium silicates BaSiO2 and BaSiO3

In the present study, the stability of gaseous barium silicates was confirmed by the high temperature mass spectrometry. On the basis of equilibrium constants measured for gas-phase reactions, the standard formation enthalpies were determined for gaseous barium silicates as (−510 ± 15) kJ · mol⁻¹ and (−884 ± 18) kJ · mol⁻¹ at 298 K; standard atomization enthalpies as (1637 ± 17) kJ · mol⁻¹ and (2318 ± 20) kJ · mol⁻¹ at 298 K for BaSiO₂ and BaSiO₃, respectively. Based on the results obtained the critical analysis of the literature data was carried out.     

Isothermal and polythermal kinetics of depolymerization of C60 polymers

Isothermal depolymerization of the two polymers of C₆₀, i.e. of 1D orthorhombic phase (O) and of “dimer state” (DS) have been studied by means of Infra-red spectroscopy in the temperature ranges 383-423 and 453-503 K, respectively. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) has been used to obtained depolymerization polytherms for O-phase and DS. Standard set of reaction models have been applied to describe depolymerization behavior of O-phase and DS. The choice of the reaction models was based primarily on the isotherms. Several models however demonstrated almost equal goodness of fit and were statistically indistinguishable. In this case we looked for simpler/more realistic mechanistic model of the reaction. For DS the first-order expression (Mampel equation) with the activation energy E_a = 134 ± 7 kJ mol⁻¹ and preexponential factor ln(A/s⁻¹) = 30.6 ± 2.1, fitted the isothermal data. This activation energy was nearly the same as the activation energy of the solid-state reaction of dimerization of C₆₀ reported in the literature. This made the enthalpy of depolymerization close to zero in accord with the DSC data on depolymerization of DS. Mampel equation gave the best fit to the polythermal data with E_a = 153 kJ mol⁻¹ and preexponential factor ln(A/s⁻¹) = 35.8. For O-phase two reasonable reaction models, i.e. Mampel equation and “contracting spheres” model equally fitted to the isothermal data with E_a = 196 ± 2 and 194 ± 8 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively and ln(A/s⁻¹) = 39.1 ± 0.5 and 37.4 ± 0.2, respectively and to polythermal data with E_a = 163 and 170 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively and ln(A/s⁻¹) = 32.5 and 29.5, respectively.     

Kinetics study of the SO2 sorption by Brazilian dolomite using thermogravimetry

Sulfur emission in coal power generation is a matter of great environmental concern. Limestone sorbents are widely used for reducing such emissions. This work applies thermogravimetry to determine apparent activation energy and frequency factor on the sorption of SO₂ by limestone. The kinetic parameters were determined from Arrhenius plots generated from TG/DTG measurements. The experiments were carried out under isothermal conditions between 600 and 900 °C. A natural dolomite with a mean size of 650 μm was used. The Arrhenius plot shows that there is a clear change on reaction mechanism in the range of temperatures between 800 and 875 °C. Supposedly, beyond 850 °C sintering comes to increasingly restrain reaction. For temperatures up to 850 °C the frequency factor and the apparent activation energy resulted, respectively, 1.410 s⁻¹ and 8.8 kJ mol⁻¹.     

Synthesis and inversion barriers of undeca- and dodeca-substituted saddle shaped porphyrin complexes

Synthesis and barriers to inversion of a series of highly saddle shaped complexes are reported. The ΔG^≠ has decreased by 8 kJ mol⁻¹ at 243 K when the meso phenyl groups are replaced by bulkier 2,6-dichlorophenyl groups, and by 17 kJ mol⁻¹ when one of the peripheral ethyl groups is removed.     

Combined cation-exchange and extraction chromatographic method of pre-concentration and concomitant separation of Cu(II) with high molecular mass liquid cation exchanger after its online detection

A selective method has been developed for the extraction chromatographic trace level separation of Cu(II) with Versatic 10 (liquid cation exchanger) coated on silanised silica gel (SSG-V10). Cu(II) has been extracted from 0.1 M acetate buffer at the range of pH 4.0–5.5. The effects of foreign ions, pH, flow-rate, stripping agents on extraction and elution have been investigated. Exchange capacity of the prepared exchanger at different temperatures with respect to Cu(II) has been determined. The extraction equilibrium constant (K_ex) and different standard thermodynamic parameters have also been calculated by temperature variation method. Positive value of ΔH (7.98 kJ mol⁻¹) and ΔS (0.1916 kJ mol⁻¹) and negative value of ΔG (−49.16 kJ mol⁻¹) indicated that the process was endothermic, entropy gaining and spontaneous. Preconcentration factor was optimized at 74.7 ± 0.2 and the desorption constants K_desorption¹(1.4 × 10⁻²) and K_desorption²(9.8 × 10⁻²) were determined. The effect of pH on R_f values in ion exchange paper chromatography has been investigated. In order to investigate the sorption isotherm, two equilibrium models, the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, were analyzed. Cu(II) has been separated from synthetic binary and multi-component mixtures containing various metal ions associated with it in ores and alloy samples. The method effectively permits sequential separation of Cu(II) from synthetic quaternary mixture containing its congeners Bi(III), Sn(II), Hg(II) and Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) of same analytical group. The method was found effective for the selective detection, removal and recovery of Cu(II) from industrial waste and standard alloy samples following its preconcentration on the column. A plausible mechanism for the extraction of Cu(II) has been suggested.     

Low-temperature heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of endo-Tricyclo[5.2.1.0]decane

Endo-Tricyclo[5.2.1.0^2,6]decane (CAS 6004-38-2) is an important intermediate compound for synthesizing diamantane. The lack of data on the thermodynamic properties of the compound limits its development and application. In this study, endo-Tricyclo[5.2.1.0^2,6]decane was synthesized and the low temperature heat capacities were measured with a high-precision adiabatic calorimeter in the temperature range from (80 to 360) K. Two phase transitions were observed: the solid-solid phase transition in the temperature range from (198.79 to 210.27) K, with peak temperature 204.33 K; the solid-liquid phase transition in the temperature range from 333.76 K to 350.97 K, with peak temperature 345.28 K. The molar enthalpy increments, ΔH_m, and entropy increments, ΔS_m, of these phase transitions are ΔH_m=2.57 kJ · mol⁻¹ and ΔS_m=12.57 J · K⁻¹ · mol⁻¹ for the solid-solid phase transition at 204.33 K, and, Δ_fusH_m=3.07 kJ · mol⁻¹ and Δ_fusS_m=8.89 J · K⁻¹ · mol⁻¹ for the solid-liquid phase transition at 345.28 K. The thermal stability of the compound was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. TG result shows that endo-Tricyclo[5.2.1.0^2,6]decane starts to sublime at 300 K and completely changes into vapor when the temperature reaches 423 K, reaching the maximal rate of weight loss at 408 K.     

Synthesis and thermochemistry of SrB2O4·4H2O and SrB2O4

Two pure strontium borates SrB₂O₄·4H₂O and SrB₂O₄ have been synthesized and characterized by means of chemical analysis and XRD, FT-IR, DTA-TG techniques. The molar enthalpies of solution of SrB₂O₄·4H₂O and SrB₂O₄ in 1 mol dm⁻³ HCl(aq) were measured to be −(9.92 ± 0.20) kJ mol⁻¹ and −(81.27 ± 0.30) kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The molar enthalpy of solution of Sr(OH)₂·8H₂O in (HCl + H₃BO₃)(aq) were determined to be −(51.69 ± 0.15) kJ mol⁻¹. With the use of the enthalpy of solution of H₃BO₃ in 1 mol dm⁻³ HCl(aq), and the standard molar enthalpies of formation for Sr(OH)₂·8H₂O(s), H₃BO₃(s), and H₂O(l), the standard molar enthalpies of formation of −(3253.1 ± 1.7) kJ mol⁻¹ for SrB₂O₄·4H₂O, and of −(2038.4 ± 1.7) kJ mol⁻¹ for SrB₂O₄ were obtained.     

Kinetics and mechanism of hydroboration reactions of HBBr2 · SMe2 and HBCl2 · SMe2 - Application of B NMR spectroscopy

The kinetics and mechanism of the hydroboration reactions of 1-octene with HBBr₂ · SMe₂ and HBCl₂ · SMe₂, in CH₂Cl₂ as a solvent, were studied. Rates of hydroboration were monitored using ¹¹B NMR spectroscopy. The reactions exhibited simple second-order kinetics of the form . The HBCl₂ · SMe₂ was found to be 20 times more reactive than the HBBr₂ · SMe₂. The overall activation parameters (ΔH^≠, ΔS^≠) for the reaction of HBBr₂ · SMe₂ with 1-octene were found to be 82 ± 1 kJ mol⁻¹, −18 ± 4 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ and with 1-hexyne were 78 ± 4 kJ mol⁻¹ −34 ± 12 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹. For the reaction of HBCl₂ · SMe₂ with 1-octene, ΔH^≠ and ΔS^≠ were 104 ± 5 kJ mol⁻¹ and 43 ± 16 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, respectively. The activation parameters (ΔH^≠, ΔS^≠) for the dissociation of Me₂S from HBBr₂ · SMe₂ were found to be 104 ± 2 kJ mol⁻¹, +33 ± 8 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, respectively. Based on the activation parameters, it was concluded that the detaching of Me₂S from the boron centre follows a dissociative mechanism, while the hydroboration process follows an associative pathway. It was also concluded that the dissociation of Me₂S from the boron centre is the rate determining step.