顺酐在高温下会发生分 解，随之放出二氧化碳和大量热量。对于高纯度物质顺酐来说，事实上发生这种危险的可能性非常小。因为通常顺酐的蒸馏温度实际都低于其分解温度。但如果在有以下各种催化物质的存在下，发生顺酐分解反应的可能性会大大地增加。
Maleic anhydride will decompose at high temperature, and then release carbon dioxide and a lot of heat. For high purity maleic anhydride, in fact, the risk is very small. Generally, the distillation temperature of maleic anhydride is lower than its decomposition temperature. However, in the presence of the following catalytic substances, the possibility of maleic anhydride decomposition will be greatly increased.
顺酐发生分解危险主要的催化物质是碱金属离子和胺类物质，特别是钾、钠离子的危险性*大，即使钾、钠离子浓度很小时也会使马来酐的分解温度大大降低。只要有顺酐的分解反应发生，其分解反应速度随温度的增加会迅速增加。如果让分解反应继续进行下去，温度和压力会迅速聚集，促使分解反应速度增加的更快，结果引起爆炸。
The main catalytic substances are alkali metal ions and amines, especially potassium and sodium ions. Even if the concentration of potassium and sodium ions is very small, the decomposition temperature of maleic anhydride will be greatly reduced. As long as the decomposition reaction of maleic anhydride occurs, the decomposition reaction rate will increase rapidly with the increase of temperature. If the decomposition reaction is allowed to continue, the temperature and pressure will gather rapidly, and the decomposition reaction speed will increase faster, resulting in explosion.
顺酐开始发生分解反应需要的温度，是顺酐中碱金属污染物质含量的函数。当碱金属离子的含量达到10ppm时，顺酐开始发生分解反应的温度约为390-400℉(200-204℃)。
The temperature needed for the decomposition reaction of maleic anhydride is a function of the content of alkali metal pollutants in maleic anhydride. When the content of alkali metal ions reaches 10 ppm, the decomposition temperature of maleic anhydride is about 390-400 ℃ (200-204 ℃).
如果碱金属如钾、钠离子含量增加时，顺酐的分解反应温度会大幅度下降，甚可能降低到300℉(150℃)以下。随着碱金属物质的存在，阴离子物质也将起到促进顺酐分解的作用，如磷酸钠在初期的催化作用比碳酸钠或马来酸钠盐要低得多，但其促使顺酐发生分解反应以及爆炸的可能性是依然存在的，所以应采取有效措施预防分解事故的发生。
If the content of alkali metals such as potassium and sodium ions increases, the decomposition reaction temperature of maleic anhydride will be greatly reduced, and may even be reduced to below 300 ℃ (150 ℃). With the existence of alkali metal substances, anionic substances will also play a role in promoting the decomposition of maleic anhydride. For example, the catalytic effect of sodium phosphate in the initial stage is much lower than that of sodium carbonate or sodium maleate. However, the possibility of decomposition reaction and explosion of maleic anhydride still exists. Therefore, effective measures should be taken to prevent the occurrence of decomposition accidents.
