Benzoyl peroxide (BPO), a commonly used organic peroxide, has caused many catastrophes. The thermal characteristics of BPO mixed with carbazole and its derivatives are studied under non-isothermal conditions using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The kinetic parameters are obtained from analysis of the DSC curves by the Kissinger and Ozawa methods. Results indicated that when BP() is mixed with carbazole and N-alkyl carbazole, the hazard increased with lower activity energy (E-a) and exothermic peak (T-p). In the presence of N-alkyl substituted carbazole. the T-p for the decomposition of BPO is reduced to 75 degrees C, the decomposition procedure becomes more complex than that of pure BPO, and the exothermic decomposition peak in the DSC trace splits into two. In the presence of a cationic cyclopentadinyl iron carbazole complex, the decomposition hazard of BPO does not increase. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.