AbstractThe evolution of HCN from the oxidation of nylon 66 has been studied in three apparatuses of different design (all based on stream flow) over a temperature range from 390 to 700°C. Although the numerical values for rate constants (diffusion controlled) and energies of activation differ, the same mechanism is deduced from the results of the three designs. It is concluded that a simple horizontal tube in a furnace is the most efficient apparatus as far as sweeping out volatile products is concerned. The mechanism of thermal oxidative degradation has been evaluated in detail. It is shown that mechanisms where the first reaction step is not the slowest or the slowest one of first or second order all fit the experimental results. However, it is concluded that the mechanism where the first step is first order and the slowest one is the most likely one. The respective parameters have been evaluated for the results obtained from the horizontal tube apparatus