By using the Computer Assisted Electrothermography (CAE) method and taking the molybdenum-silicon system as an example, the influence of preheating rate on the kinetics of gasless reactions at high temperatures (above Si melting point, 1683 K) is studied. It is shown that an increase of heating rate V-h in the range 10-10(5) K/s, leads to a substantial increase in the rate of chemical reaction. At high heating rates (>10(3) K/s), the first stage of interaction involves rapid reaction due to the direct dissolution of Mo in the Si melt. Furthermore, the formation of MoSi2 phase, owing both to crystallization from eutectic (MoSi2-Si) melt and reaction-diffusion mechanism, is primarily responsible for the observed intensive heat release under these conditions. At lower Vh, a thin layer of Mo5Si3 phase formed at earlier stages (solid-solid interaction) significantly retards reaction at higher temperatures and changes the mechanism of interaction. Some methodological aspects of using the CAE technique for kinetic studies are also discussed. (C) 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.