Thermal stability and degradation of binuclear hexaaqua-bis(ethylenediamine)-(μ 2-pyromellitato)dinickel(II) tetrahydrate

Abstract

Thermal degradation of ternary transition metal complex containing tetraanion of pyromellitic acid, pyr, and ethylenediamine, en, [Ni2(en)2(H2O)6(pyr)]·4H2O, 1, was investigated under non-isothermal conditions. The mechanism of thermal degradation, which occurs in three steps, was clarified by TG/DSC measurements in conjunction with FT-IR spectroscopy and XRPD analysis. The complexity of all degradation steps has been revealed using isoconversional methods. Dehydration comprises the loss of ten water molecules in a relatively narrow temperature interval, resulting in a very complicated reaction mechanism. In addition, density functional theory calculations have been applied for better understanding of dehydration. The second degradation step, related to loss of en, was separated into two single-step processes with Fraser–Suzuki function. The obtained individual steps were described by Johnson–Mehl–Avrami A2 model and Sestak–Berggren model, respectively. Validation of the proposed kinetic triplets for individual steps was performed using master plot and Perez-Maqueda criteria. The third degradation step is related to the fragmentation of pyr ion most likely followed with the release of a number of gaseous products.