Thermal decomposition of calcium copper acetate hexahydrate by simultaneous measurement of controlled-rate thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry (CRTG-MS)

The thermal decomposition of calcium copper acetate hexahydrate, CaCu(CH3CO2)(4). 6H(2)O, in an inert atmosphere has been studied successfully by means of thermogravimetry (TG) or controlled-rate thermogravimetry (CRTG), both combined with simultaneous evolved gas analysis (EGA) using mass spectrometry (MS). CRTG is useful to simplify the complicated successive reactions and to study the mechanism of the thermal decomposition. The determination of the residual intermediates provides powerful information to analyze the decomposition mechanism. Compared with the conventional linear heating method the CRTG-MS method offers an invaluable interpretation for the complex process in the thermal events. The features of the thermal decomposition observed by the conventional TC were different from those by CRTG, so that the decomposition seems to proceed through different mechanisms in TG and CRTG. The X-ray diffraction profiles of the intermediate products support this expectation. The decomposition mechanism of CaCu(CH3CO2)(4). 6H(2)O was proposed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.