Solid state decomposition studies on metal salicylates. Thermal decomposition of some lanthanide salicylato complexes

Abstract

The thermal stability and mechanism of thermal decomposition in air of the four lanthanide complexes of 2-hydroxybenzoic acid have been studied by TG, DSC, IR and MS techniques. An analysis of the prepared compounds show that Pr(III), Nd(III) and Tb(III) form anhydrous salicylato (Hsal) − complexes while the corresponding holmium compound contains four water molecules. The TG curves show two (praseodymium, terbium), three (neodymium) or four (holmium) main stages of thermal decomposition. The most unstable among the complexes studied is Ho(Hsal) 3·4H 2O which releases four water molecules in an endothermic dehydration step. Ligand molecules decompose mainly in two stages of which the first is endothermic and is attributed to the release of the ligand acid and the second is a strongly exothermic decarboxylation process. The final decomposition product is the corresponding lanthanide(III) oxide, except in the case of terbium which decomposes to Tb 4O 7.