Drop calorimetry of the compounds NbCl5, TaCl5, RbNbCl6, CsNbCl6, RbTaCl6, and CsTaCl6

Abstract

Enthalpy contents for NbCl5, TaCl5, RbNbCl6, CsNbCl6, RbTaCl6, and CsTaCl6 were measured as functions of temperature using a high temperature aluminum block drop calorimeter. It was found that the solid compounds RbNbCl6, CsNbCl6, RbTaCl6, and CsTaCl6 undergo allotropie solid–solid transformations and the enthalpies and entropies associated with these phase changes, as well as from fusion, have been evaluated.Molar heat capacities for the systems investigated are reported as linear functions of temperature.The molar heat capacities for solid and molten NbCl5 or TaCl5 were used together with available vapour pressure data to express enthalpies and free energies of vaporization for these compounds as functions of temperature through the third law calculation method. Keywords: calorimetry, heat capacities, transition enthalpies, niobium compounds, tantalum compounds.