Thermal decomposition of calcium copper acetate hexahydrate by simultaneous measurement of controlled-rate thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry (CRTG-MS)

The thermal decomposition of calcium copper acetate hexahydrate, CaCu(CH3CO 2)(4). 6H(2)O, in an inert atmosphere has been studied successfully by mean s of thermogravimetry (TG) or controlled-rate thermogravimetry (CRTG), both combined with simultaneous evolved gas analysis (EGA) using mass spectrome try (MS). CRTG is useful to simplify the complicated successive reactions a nd to study the mechanism of the thermal decomposition. The determination o f the residual intermediates provides powerful information to analyze the d ecomposition mechanism. Compared with the conventional linear heating metho d the CRTG-MS method offers an invaluable interpretation for the complex pr ocess in the thermal events. The features of the thermal decomposition observed by the conventional TC w ere different from those by CRTG, so that the decomposition seems to procee d through different mechanisms in TG and CRTG. The X-ray diffraction profil es of the intermediate products support this expectation. The decomposition mechanism of CaCu(CH3CO2)(4). 6H(2)O was proposed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.