Non-isothermal kinetics of CrO3 decomposition pathways in air

The course of the non-isothermal decomposition of CrO3 in air was explored kinetically, by using a number of widely accepted methods. The credibility of the values obtained from a given kinetic parameter (the reaction order, the activation energy and the frequency factor) was justified on the grounds of (i) a multiple correlation coefficient, and (ii) the merits and demerits of the method adopted. The results obtained may help towards a characterization of the non-isothermal conditions under which the encountered decomposition events and products could be resolved. The study was motivated by the results of previous physicochemical characterization studies [1, 2], in which catalytically important intermediates CrOx(3 < x < 6) were structurally identified.