A technique for the investigation of organic reactions driven by shock waves in liquids

A method has been developed for investigating the chemical reactions of organic compounds under the dynamic shock loading conditions of detonation. Sealed capsules are placed along the axis of a cylindrical charge which is initiated at one end. As the detonation wave progresses along the charge, a major part of the sample inside each capsule is subjected to a well‐balanced annular compression with peak pressure approximately equal to the Chapman–Jouguet pressure of the explosive used. The geometry of the system ensures both minimal structural deformation and low residual velocity of the capsules; consequently high survival rates have been obtained. The temperature and pressure distribution within the sample space has been calculated as a function of time by a computer simulation using MAGI, a three‐dimensional Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics code. The temperature has also been measured experimentally with a variety of organic reactions known to be insensitive to pressure, whose Arrhenius parameters are obta...