Kinetic and thermal characterization of the hydrolysis of polysuccinimide

The kinetics of the base hydrolysis of polysuccinimide in an aqueous slurry were studied with temperatures ranging from 31 to 72 degrees C and pH's from 8.0 to 10.5. At the higher temperatures and lower pH values, the results are described adequately by a shrinking core model that is first order with respect to hydroxyl concentration and particle surface area. Temperature effects were modeled with an Arrhenius equation, which indicates an activation energy of 35 kJ/mol. In separate experiments, the heat of reaction was determined to be 38.5 kJ/mol.