> > [ aqua, not aqua regis ]
>
> Yes, but these polymers are not in a liquid water environment. At that
> temperature, I believe liquid water would be required to be supercritical.
I don't have a water phase diagram in my head, somebody said phase
boundary between liquid/vapour vanishes at about 350 (?) deg C.
> Supercritical water doesn't just break down organics, it usually oxidizes
> them to the greatest extent possible, with the exception of Nitrogen due to
If it has some oxygen dissolved in it, I think. I doubt equilibrium will
imply noticeable amounts of free oxygen at these still relatively mild
conditions.
> the relatively low temperature. I've seen supercritical reactors operating
> at 550 C that turned ANY organic material into carbon dioxide, water, and
> inorganic salts. It is currently gaining very large favor as a new method
> of destroying organic waste, toxic and otherwise.
Sounds interesting, I did not knew. Does it hydrolyse the dioxines as well?
(The best stuff I knew of, apart from CrO_3 in sulfuric acid, was Carot's
acid, a hot mix of strong hydrogen peroxide (perhydrole, H_2O_2) and
conc. sulfuric acid, I remember it dissolved a dead fly tracelessly within
seconds).
> [...]
>
ciao,
'gene
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