Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Non-equilibrium Microwave Plasma for Efficient High Temperature Chemistry
Published on: August 1, 2017
Cavitation-induced reactions in high-pressure carbon dioxide
M W A Kuijpers1, D van Eck, M F Kemmere
1Process Development Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, Post Office Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Abstract:
The feasibility of ultrasound-induced in situ radical formation in liquid carbon dioxide was demonstrated. The required threshold pressure for cavitation could be exceeded at a relatively low acoustic intensity, as the high vapor pressure of CO2 counteracts the hydrostatic pressure. With the use of a dynamic bubble model, the formation of hot spots upon bubble collapse was predicted. Cavitation-induced radical formation was used for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate in CO2, yielding high-molecular-weight polymers. These results show that sonochemical reactions can be performed in dense-phase fluids, which allows the environmentally benign CO2 to replace conventional organic solvents in many reaction systems.
Related Concept Videos
Chemical Reactions
Chemical Reactions Rearrange Atoms into New Substances
A chemical reaction takes starting materials—the reactants—and changes them into different...
Redox Reactions
Chemical Reactions
The relative amounts of reactants and products represented in a balanced chemical equation are often referred to as stoichiometric amounts. However, in...
Enthalpy and Heat of Reaction
Introduction to Chemical Reactions
Redox Reactions

