DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS OF SOLUTIONS OF EUROPIUM AND YTTERBIUM METALS IN LIQUID AMMONIA

At -50 °C, the diamide, Yb(NH2)2, is the predominant decomposition product of liquid ammonia solutions of ytterbium metal. Europium metal solutions decompose to form the diamide exclusively at -50 °C. Thermal decomposition leads to the imide, EuNH, for europium, and the nitride, YbN, for ytterbium. The heats of solution of europium and ytterbium in liquid ammonia are calculated to be -20.9 and -19.4 kcal/g.-at., respectively. The processes leading to formation of the diamide and triamide are examined, and it is shown why the differences in both the decomposition of the metal solutions and the thermal decomposition products occur. © 1969.