The paper reports an attempt to understand the mechanism of mechanochemical
synthesis by mechanical milling. Towards this goal, a systematic investiga
tion of the mechanochemistry of the ionic compounds has been carried out. W
e have studied the nature of replacement reactions in solid CuSO4. 5H(2)O w
ith Fe, Mg and Sn. The study focuses on structural characterization at diff
erent stages of milling to gain insight into the process of synthesis lendi
ng to the formation of nanocrystalline copper. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B,
V. All rights reserved.