Infrared study of the thermal transformation of goethite to magnetite in alkali-iodide disks

Abstract

Synthetic and natural goethites (0.5–1.5 mg) were heated up to 600°C in alkali-halide disks (400 mg). The thermal transformations occurring at different temperatures are found to depend on the preparation of the disks. For mixtures of alkali-halides and goethite not ground during the preparation of the disks, heating at >200°C resulted in protohematite, which persisted up to 600°C. However, disks which were subjected to repeated grinding—pressing cycles before thermal treatments gave rise to protohematite at >200°C, which on further heating at >300°C was transformed to a transitional iron oxide. In CsI disks, the transitional oxide derived from synthetic goethite can be further transformed to maghemite at 500°C; however, almost no maghemite could be obtained from natural goethite. At 600°C, both the transitional oxide and the maghemite resulting from the synthetic goethite in CsI disks were reduced to magnetite. On the other hand, in KI disks, transitional oxides obtained from both synthetic and natural goethites were reduced to magnetite upon re-pressing and gradual heating of the disks at 600°C. In KI disks, magnetite can be formed only if the reduction temperature is reached gradually, whereas in CsI disks magnetite is formed upon direct heating of the disks to 600°C. The iron oxides referred to above, including the transitional oxides resulting from thermal treatments, were studied by IR absorption spectroscopy.