Microwave irradiation assisted chemical reactions
Microwave irradiation assisted chemical reactions
(OP)
Having read several articles about microwave assisted chemical reactions, it is not completely clear for me whether the reactions are not just enhanced by the temperature increase provoked by the microwave irradiation, or is there really a pure microwave effect? In other words, would this enhancement still take place if the reaction mixture is cooled during irradiation? Who can help me?





RE: Microwave irradiation assisted chemical reactions
J. Amer. Ceramic Soc., Vol. 86, No. 8, August 2003
"Microwave Sintering of Alumina at 2.45 GHz"
from the abstract: "With no hold at sintering temperature, microwave-sintered samples reached 95% density at 1350°C versus 1600°C for conventionally heated samples...The grain size/density trajectory was independent of the heating source. It is concluded that the enhanced densification with microwave heating is not a consequence of fast-firing and therefore is not a result in the change in the relative rates of surface and grain boundary diffusion in the presence of microwave energy."
http://www.ceramicjournal.org/issues/current/abs/6633.html
So, to answer your question, yes, microwave radiation can stimulate a reaction at lower temperature by producing atomic vibrations equal to a higher temperature.
RE: Microwave irradiation assisted chemical reactions