Solid-state decompositions - Stagnation or progress?

An appraisal of the trends discerned in the recent literature concerned wit h solid-state decompositions suggests that this research area lacks a gener al theoretical framework and, hence, order in the subject is difficult to r ecognize. There have been surprisingly few reviews of the field. Many of th e continuing flow of research publications may be of individual value, but most do not contribute to the overall development of the topic. For example , in many studies of reversible dissociations the sensitivity of rate chara cteristics to prevailing conditions is not discussed so that the fit of dat a to rate equations and the magnitudes of calculated Arrhenius parameters m ay be of empirical value only. Some studies report kinetic results without mechanistic discussions supported by complementary observations. Progress f orward from an apparent state of stagnation depends upon more critical exam ination of the existing literature, coupled with better designed experiment s to establish the reproducibility and reliability of kinetic conclusions. Techniques capable of providing insights into the bond redistribution steps that occur during reactions in crystals are also urgently needed.