Sonochemistry

Sonochemistry (also known as ultrasonic chemistry ) deals with the effects of (ultra) sound waves on chemical systems.

Sonochemical effects are not caused by direct action of sound waves on molecules , but by acoustic cavitation . As a result of the action of ultrasound, bubbles form in a liquid, which initially grow and then collapse. During this implosion , very high energies are released, locally and temporally limited . In corresponding experiments, temperatures around 5000 Kelvin and pressures of around 1000 atm were measured. The temperature fluctuations are above 10 ¹⁰ K / s.

The sonochemical reactions occurring under these extreme physical conditions can be divided into the following three classes:

• homogeneous systems
• heterogeneous systems with an ionic mechanism
• heterogeneous systems with radical mechanisms or mixed reactions

Individual evidence

1. ↑ KS Suslick : The Chemical Effects of Ultrasound . In: Scientific American . February 1989, pages 62-68.
2. ↑ KS Suslick, DA Hammerton, RE Cline: Journal of the American Chemical Society . 1986, Volume 108, Page 5641.
3. ↑ EB Flint, KS Suslick: Science . 1991, Volume 253, Page 1397.