Regularities governing the thermal stability of oxides of the transition metals

Abstract

1. We have considered data available in the literature on the melting points and thermal stability of transition metal oxides (with different degrees of oxidation) in comparison with the features of the electronic structure of the transition metals and oxygen. 2. It is demonstrated that the melting points and thermal stability of the oxides are determined by the nature of the distribution of valent electrons from the components over localized and nonlocalized ones and by the probability of the formation of stable electron configurations of transition metal and oxygen atoms. The drop in statistical weight of stable configurations and increase in proportion of nonlocalized electrons results in a drop in melting point and thermal stability of the oxides.