Thermodynamic investigation of several natural polyols

Abstract

The low-temperature heat capacity Cp,m of erythritol (C4H10O4, CAS 149-32-6) was precisely measured in the temperature range from 80 to 410 K by means of a small sample automated adiabatic calorimeter. A solid-liquid phase transition was found at T=390.254 K from the experimental Cp-T curve. The molar enthalpy and entropy of this transition were determined to be 37.92±0.19 kJ mol−1 and 97.17±0.49 J K−1 mol−1, respectively. The thermodynamic functions [HT-H298.15] and [ST-S298.15], were derived from the heat capacity data in the temperature range of 80 to 410 K with an interval of 5 K. The standard molar enthalpy of combustion and the standard molar enthalpy of formation of the compound have been determined: ΔcHm0(C4H10O4, cr)= −2102.90±1.56 kJ mol−1 and ΔfHm0(C4H10O4, cr)= − 900.29±0.84 kJ mol−1, by means of a precision oxygen-bomb combustion calorimeter at T=298.15 K. DSC and TG measurements were performed to study the thermostability of the compound. The results were in agreement with those obtained from heat capacity measurements.