Exothermic reactions occuring during temperature changes are common issues in process safety, however they are often difficult to characterize. A method of evaluating exothermic reactions in non-isothermal systems is presented and applied to two reactions: a Suzuki cross-coupling and the decomposition of a lithiated intermediate that is believed to form a benzyne on heating.

In evaluation of the Suzuki cross-coupling, the information gathered is used to model the reaction scaled up for full scale manufacturing and to specify a safe heating profile near the boiling point of the reaction mixture. The decomposition of benzyne-producing lithiated species is characterized for several substrates and our attempts to lessen the thermal hazards are discussed.