Thermal Decomposition of Europium Hydroxide |
| |
| Authors: | ROBERT C. RAU W. J. GLOVER JR. |
| |
| Affiliation: | Nuclear Materials and Propulsion Operation, General Electric Company, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| |
| Abstract: | The thermal decomposition of europium hydroxide in an air atmosphere was investigated by means of weight-loss measurements, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and electron microscopy. These studies showed that EU(OH)° decomposed at temperatures between 225° and 300°C into EuOOH, which was stable up to about 425°C. Between 435° and 465°C this compound decomposed into cubic Eu2O3, which was stable until its inversion to the high-temperature monoclinic form. X-ray diffraction data were collected for Eu(OH)3 and EuOOH and showed that the trihydroxide has a hexagonal crystal structure and the oxyhydroxide is possibly orthorhombic. The Eu(OH)2, EuOOH, and cubic EunOa powders contained particles up to several microns in size consisting of agglomerates of crystallites in the size range 200 to 400 A. The single monoclinic Eu2O3 sample studied contained crystallites whose average size was greater than 2000 A. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
