Experimental hazardous risk investigation of energetic styphnic acid analytical reagent in calorimetric analysis

Analytical reagents identify and manage metal pollution, a major environmental issue. Regrettably, these compounds' safety concerns, especially when heated, have been neglected. This research examines the thermal hazard of the extremely reactive analytical reagent styphnic acid. Differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and accelerating rate calorimetry examined styphnic acid's thermodynamics. Thermogravimetric analysis showed weight loss reactions starting at 127 °C and peaking at 208 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry showed an endothermic peak at 176 °C. The accelerating rate calorimetry test showed that styphnic acid self-accelerates at 237 °C after 196.5 °C. Kissinger, Ozawa-Flynn-Wall, and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose thermokinetic models calculated apparent activation energy from 131.677 to 155.718 kJ/mol. A nonlinear regression analysis showed that styphnic acid undergoes a two-step autocatalytic reaction during heat degradation. Thermal safety was assessed by measuring time to conversion limit, maximum rate, total energy release, self-accelerating decomposition temperature, and adiabatic temperature rise. Styphnic acid is less stable at higher temperatures and its thermal hazards depend on heating rate. The computed SADT was 109.04 °C, with alarm and control temperatures of 104.04 and 99.04 °C, respectively. The risk matrix analysis based on T_ad and TMR_ad suggests reducing thermal instability. This study on styphnic acid's thermal risks and safe storage and transit during analytical applications is beneficial.