Enthalpy of VX Hydrolysis in Aqueous Sodium Hydroxide Solution at 90 degrees C

The enthalpy, or heat of reaction, for the hydrolysis of munitions grade VX in aqueous sodium hydroxide at 90 degrees C was determined in a 2-L Mettler RC1 Reaction Calorimeter. Typically, VX with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCDI) as a stabilizer was added to the sodium hydroxide solution in the reactor at 11.35 g/min. The average normalized enthalpy for nine reactions was -139.6 kJ (SN-1 4.2)/mol VX. The overall heat transfer coefficient of the final reaction mass was 178.3 (W/(m2 degrees K)) SN-1 7.7, and the specific heat capacity was 3.6 (kJ/(kg K)) SN-1 0.2. The thermodynamic quantities were not significantly different than previous reported data.