Solid State Synthesis of Materials

Abstract

Solid state synthesis is probably one of the oldest synthetic procedures for materials synthesis. It involves heating the reactants at high temperature for a specified period of time. The temperature and time chosen for the synthesis depend on many factors. A thorough knowledge of all these factors is essential to design a successful solid state synthesis to achieve desired product. The chapter, initially, introduces solid state synthesis in details. A historical perspective of solid state synthesis, its significance and utility has been discussed. Various concepts involved in solid state synthesis such as choice of reactants, equipments employed and reaction conditions have been elaborated in detail. These will give reader an insight into thoughtful planning of synthesis protocol. The concepts have been supported by giving specific examples of the synthesis of compounds belonging to important structural classes. Sometimes, in order to improve the homogeneity of the product or to decrease the reaction time, some modified solid state synthesis techniques are employed. They have also been described briefly. The solid state synthesis was conventionally used to prepare inorganic compounds, but there has been an upsurge in synthesis of solvent-free synthesis of organic compounds termed as solid state organic synthesis which has also been described briefly. The chapter also delves into common characterization techniques which are employed to characterize the synthesized products. It has been realized that metastable compounds show very interesting and technologically significant properties which in turn is the consequence of their structure. The concept behind metastability has been discussed and supported by few examples. Solid state synthesis is one of the synthetic techniques which are easily amenable to scaling up and easy to follow. However, it has certain limitations which have been elucidated to benefit the readers. The chapter covers all the aspects of solid state synthesis to enable even a beginner in this field to embark on the wonderful journey of solid state synthesis.