Investigation of basic zinc sulfate thermal decomposition under nitrogen and carbon monoxide atmosphere

Abstract

Abstract The thermal decomposition of basic zinc sulfate in nitrogen flux in the range 1070–1150 K and the reduction of this compound with carbon monoxide in the range 970–1030 K were investigated. In both cases the reaction product contained zinc oxide and, in the case of reduction, an admixture of zinc sulfide. Hypotheses have been advanced that propose that the thermal decomposition is controlled by the reaction at the interface, whereas the thermal decomposition with reduction by carbon monoxide is limited by the nucleation processes. The activation energies of thermal decomposition are 215.4±10.9 kj mol−1 for tablet samples and 253.7±9.9 kj mol−1 for powdered samples, whereas the activation energies for reduction by carbon monoxide are 128.6±4.5 kj mol−1 for tablet samples and 134.2±4.9 kJ mol−1 for powdered samples.