HNO自由基与O2反应机理的理论研究

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)和从头算方法,在B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)水平上对反应HNO+O_2做了理论计算研究。优化得到了反应物、中间体、过渡态和产物的几何构型以及相应的能量值、振动频率。通过分析反应路径的能量差异,以及异构化难易程度,发现HNO+O_2反应有2种产物通道:HOONO和HNO_3。其中过氧亚硝酸HOONO是主要产物,有3种稳定的构象。     

Pt掺杂氧化石墨烯在酸性介质中催化氧还原反应DFT研究

目前Pt基催化剂被公认为是最高效的氧还原催化剂.我们采用了密度泛函理论研究了Pt掺杂5种不同氧化石墨烯和完美石墨烯在酸性环境中的氧还原反应机理,计算了氧还原反应中间体O₂、O、OOH、OH、H₂O和H₂O₂在不同掺杂石墨烯上的吸附性能、反应步骤与反应相对能量变化.结果表明,氧化石墨烯在O₂的活化、中间体吸附、掺杂难度（缺陷形成能）、能带带隙以及在反应中相对能量的降低都优于完美石墨烯,我们的工作将有助于为将来在实验中选择和合成氧还原催化剂提供一定的理论指导意义.     

多组态二级微扰理论计算CH3O2激发光谱以及CH3O2→CH3＋O2解离反应

在C_s对称性和aug-cc-pVTZ基组水平下, 采用全活化空间自洽场方法(CASSCF)研究了CH₃O₂自由基基态及其阴阳离子的12个低激发态. 为了进一步考虑动态电子相关效应, 采用二级多组态微扰理论(CASPT2)获得更加精确的能量值. 所有计算得到的电子态都是价电子态, 而且所得绝热激发能和电子亲和势与实验值非常接近.在CASPT2//CASSCF理论水平下计算了CH₃O₂从²A"和²A'电子态的CH₃O₂→CH₃＋O₂的解离反应的势能曲线(PECs). 优化得到的裂解产物的几何结构和能量与分别优化CH₃和O₂得到的结果进行比较, 从而确定裂解产物的电子态. 结果表明, 从²A"和²A'电子态的解离反应分别对应产物CH₃(²A")＋O₂(³A")和CH₃(²A")＋O₂(¹A").     

Cr2O3和CrO3/Cr2O3催化剂的2-氯-1,1,1-三氟乙烷气相氟化反应的活性物种和失活

采用沉淀法和浸渍法制备了2种铬基（Cr₂O₃和CrO₃/Cr₂O₃）催化剂,用于气相氟化2-氯-1,1,1-三氟乙烷合成1,1,1,2-四氟乙烷。研究发现含有低价铬（Cr³⁺）物种的Cr₂O₃催化剂上2-氯-1,1,1-三氟乙烷的稳态转化率为18.5%,而含有高价铬（Cr⁶⁺）物种和低价铬（Cr³⁺）物种的CrO₃/Cr₂O₃催化剂初始转化率达到30.6%,然而存在明显的失活。含有Cr⁶⁺物种的CrO₃/Cr₂O₃催化剂的2-氯-1,1,1-三氟乙烷氟化反应初始TOF值为1.71×10^-4 mol_HCFC-133a·mol_Cr（Ⅵ）^-1·s^-1,高于含有Cr³⁺物种的Cr₂O₃催化剂（4.16×10^-5 mol_HCFC-133a·mol_Cr（Ⅲ）^-1·s^-1）。Cr₂O₃催化剂在氟化反应前后催化剂的物相结构保持不变;而含有高价铬物种的CrO₃/Cr₂O₃催化剂经HF反应后生成了CrO_xF_y活性物种。然而,CrO_xF_y物种在反应中挥发或转化成稳定但无活性的CrF₃,从而导致催化剂失活。     

锌掺杂OV-β-Bi2O3可见光催化活性的提高:能带结构的调节和电荷分离的促进

采用溶胶-凝胶-原位碳热还原处理的方法,制备了一种含有氧空位（OV）的新型Zn掺杂β-Bi₂O₃纳米材料（OV-Zn：Bi₂O₃）,氧空位的浓度可以通过改变Zn²⁺的掺杂量进行调节。作为参照,只有氧空位没有Zn²⁺的新型β-Bi₂O₃（OV-β-Bi₂O₃）也通过类似的方法制得。通过紫外可见漫反射光谱、X射线光电子能谱、电子顺磁共振、光致发光光谱和光电化学测试,系统研究了氧空位和Zn²⁺掺杂对OV-Zn：Bi₂O₃降解亚甲基蓝（MB）和2,4,6-三氯苯酚（2,4,6-TCP）可见光催化活性的综合影响。结果表明,氧空位的引入不仅可以使光吸收向长波方向拓展,而且可以促进光生载流子的分离。因此,与传统的β-Bi₂O₃相比,OV-β-Bi₂O₃对亚甲基蓝（MB）和2,4,6-三氯苯酚（2,4,6-TCP）的降解活性显著增强。对于OV-Zn：Bi₂O₃催化剂,Zn²⁺掺杂可使光催化剂的价带边缘向下移动,增强了光激发空穴的氧化能力,并且适量的锌掺杂也能提高光生载流子的分离效率。因此,OV-Zn：Bi₂O₃的可见光活性优于OV-β-Bi₂O₃,而且当Zn与Bi物质的量之比为0.3时,OV-Zn：Bi₂O₃-0.3对MB和2,4,6-TCP的降解活性最高。     

ZrO4/SiO2-Al2O3催化肉桂醛MPV转移加氢性能

以九水合硝酸铝（Al（NO₃）₃·9H₂O）与正硅酸乙酯（TEOS）为前驱盐,采用溶胶-凝胶法制备一系列不同Al₂O₃含量的SiO₂-Al₂O₃复合氧化物,并通过浸渍硝酸氧锆引入ZrO₂,制备ZrO₂/SiO₂-Al₂O₃复合氧化物催化剂,考察催化剂在肉桂醛（CAL）MPV转移加氢中的催化性能,并结合N₂物理吸附、X射线粉末衍射（XRD）、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、NH₃-程度升温脱附（NH₃-TPD）、Py-原位红外（Py-IR）等技术,研究催化剂结构、织构以及表面性质与其催化性能间的构效关系.研究表明,所制备的催化剂均以L酸为主,并含有少量B酸中心,这使得加氢产物以肉桂醇（COL）为主,并含有少量1-苯丙烯-2-丙基醚（CPE）.Al₂O₃含量不仅影响催化剂表面的酸中心数量,而且对催化剂的织构参数有较大影响.随Al₂O₃含量的增加,催化剂表面L酸与B酸中心均有所增加,而孔径则持续变小,这使得催化反应呈现CAL转化率先增加后减少、目标产物COL选择性先稍有减小后有所增加的趋势.在Si/Al比为2时,催化剂具有最优的催化性能,优化反应条件下,CAL转化率达96%,目标产物COL选择性达90%.     

（TEAH）nH3-nPW12O40催化苯甲醇选择氧化及其反应机理

以Keggin结构的磷钨酸和三乙胺（TEA）为原料,通过简单的酸碱反应合成了磷钨酸的TEA盐.并以它们为催化剂,考察了以H₂O₂为氧化剂、以水为溶剂的体系中苯甲醇选择氧化制备苯甲醛的反应性能.结果表明,（TEAH）_nH_3-nPW₁₂O₄₀（n=1,2,3）系列催化剂对苯甲醇的选择氧化反应有很高的活性和选择性,且可被分离和循环使用.在适宜的反应条件下,最佳催化剂（TEAH）H₂PW₁₂O₄₀上,苯甲醇的转化率可达99.6%,苯甲醛的选择性为100%.还采用IR,³¹PNMR谱和元素分析技术,对催化剂和反应过程中催化剂物种的转化和分布进行了考察,进而导出了反应机理.在这个水--油两相反应中,（PW₁₂O₄₀）^3-首先在H₂O₂的作用下,氧化降解为溶于水的小分子过氧物种（PO₄（WO（O₂）₂）₄）^3-和自由W物种.（PO₄（WO（O₂）₂）₄）^3-是真正的活性物种,可将部份溶于水层的苯甲醇氧化为苯甲醛,自身转变为失去活性氧的反应后物种（SAR）.而SAR又可与自由W物种一起聚合为前驱体状态的（PW₁₂O₄₀）^3-,完成催化循环.     

X射线光电子能谱法研究UV254 nm光催化、O3强化UV254 nm光催化和真空紫外光催化降解甲醛中Pt-TiO2薄膜的表面性质

以Pt-TiO₂为光催化剂,研究了气相甲醛分别在35 h连续UV_{254 nm}光催化、O₃强化UV_{254 nm}（O₃+UV_{254 nm}）光催化和真空紫外（UV_{254+185 nm}）光催化中的降解效率,考察了副产物O₃的去除率,采用X射线光电子能谱（XPS）法分析Pt-TiO₂在不同光催化前后Pt的电子态和累积有机产物,研究纳米Pt对甲醛降解和O₃去除的强化机理. 连续光催化降解实验表明,以纳米Pt改性TiO₂可以同时增强甲醛和O₃的去除率,特别是O₃的去除率可提高3.1-3.4倍. 对催化剂C 1s和O 1s峰分别经分峰拟合处理后,发现Pt-TiO₂上累积的含羰基和羟基的有机物含量按以下顺序减少：UV_{254 nm}光催化 > O₃强化UV_{254 nm}光催化 > 真空紫外光催化,而在连续35 h光催化降解过程中,催化剂的失活现象却按相反的方向变得越来越不明显. 负载的金属Pt在O₃+UV_{254 nm}和UV_254+185nm光催化过程中被氧化成PtO_ads和Pt⁴⁺物种,而在UV_{254 nm}光催化过程中金属Pt未被氧化,所以推测是气相中的O₃和羟基自由基参与金属Pt的氧化过程. Pt-TiO₂表面高价态的Pt氧化物种可作为光生电子捕获中心,强化光生载流子的分离过程,增强Pt-TiO₂的光催化活性. Pt氧化物种可作为O₃分解的活化中心,使Pt-TiO₂对O₃的分解效率远高于纯TiO₂. 以XPS对比研究在三种不同光催化环境中Pt-TiO₂表面性质,可以解释在UV_{254+185 nm}光催化过程中纳米Pt对甲醛和O₃同时去除的强化机理,并说明了催化剂不失活的内在原因.     

丁烯自由基和O2反应机理的理论研究

应用量子化学密度泛函理论(DFT)对丁烯自由基C₄H₇和O₂的反应机理进行了研究. 在B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)水平上优化了反应通道上的反应物、中间体、过渡态和产物的几何构型, 并计算出它们的振动频率和零点能(ZPVE), 并对能量进行了零点能校正. 计算结果表明, C₄H₇和O₂形成三种氧环中间体, 再分别分解, 这是主要的反应形式. 生成物主要为羰基化合物, 其次还有一定比例的CO.     

CuO/TiO2/γ-Al2O3催化剂表征及对NO+CO反应性能研究

采用色谱-微反流动法反应装置考察了w%CuO/15%TiO₂/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂对NO+CO的反应活性;催化剂经空气氛或氢气氛预处理后,NO转化率达100%的反应温度分别是325和275 ℃;XRD仅能检测到γ-Al₂O₃晶相,负载15%CuO后可以检测到微弱的CuO晶相;H₂-TPR能检测到2个CuO的还原峰(α和β峰),将其归属于高度分散的CuO分别在裸露的γ-Al₂O₃和TiO₂/γ-Al₂O₃载体上的还原;原位红外分析结果表明催化剂经空气氛或氢气氛预处理后,吸附NO+CO反应气后,反应的中间产物N₂O出现的温度分别为200和150 ℃。     

Crystal growth, structure determination, and optical properties of new potassium-rare-earth silicates K3RESi2O7 (RE=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu)

Single crystals of K₃RESi₂O₇ (RE=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) were grown from a potassium fluoride flux. Two different structure types were found for this series. Silicates containing the larger rare earths, RE=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb crystallize in a structure K₃RESi₂O₇ that contains the rare-earth cation in both a slightly distorted octahedral and an ideal trigonal prismatic coordination environment, while in K₃LuSi₂O₇, containing the smallest of the rare earths, lutetium is found solely in an octahedral coordination environment. The structure of K₃LuSi₂O₇ crystallizes in space group P6₃/mmc with a=5.71160(10) Å and c=13.8883(6) Å. The structures containing the remaining rare earths crystallize in the space group P6₃/mcm with the lattice parameters of a=9.9359(2) Å, c=14.4295(4) Å, (K₃GdSi₂O₇); a=9.88730(10) Å, c=14.3856(3) Å, (K₃TbSi₂O₇); a=9.8673(2) Å, c=14.3572(4) Å, (K₃DySi₂O₇); a=9.8408(3) Å, c=14.3206(6) Å, (K₃HoSi₂O₇); a=9.82120(10) Å, c=14.2986(2) Å, (K₃ErSi₂O₇); a=9.80200(10) Å, c=14.2863(4) Å, (K₃TmSi₂O₇); a=9.78190(10) Å, c=14.2401(3) Å, (K₃YbSi₂O₇). The optical properties of the silicates were investigated and K₃TbSi₂O₇ was found to fluoresce in the visible.     

Li_(1.3)Ti_(1.7)Al_(0.3)(PO_4)_3,Na_(1.3)Ti_(1.7)Al_(0.3)(PO_4)_3的离子交换研究

研究了在不同温度下的NaNO3和AgNO3水溶液中Li1.3Ti1.7Al0.3(PO4)3和Na1.3Ti1.7Al0.3(PO4)3离子交换行为.实验表明Li1.3Ti1.7Al0.3(PO4)3和Na1.3Ti1.7Al0.3(PO4)3均显示出了高选择性与Na+和Ag+进行离子交换的特征,且对Ag+的选择性高于Na+.升高温度可显著提高Ag/Li和Ag/Na的交换反应速度.     

The crystal chemistry of Bi6TP2O15+x, T=Fe, Ni, Zn: Isomorphism and polymorphism, structural relationship to Bi6TiP2O16

The crystal structures of compounds with nominal compositions Bi₆FeP₂O_15+x (I), Bi₆NiP₂O_15+x (II) and Bi₆ZnP₂O_15+x (III) were determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. They are monoclinic, space group I2, Z=2. The lattice parameters for (I) are a=11.2644(7), b=5.4380(3), c=11.1440(5) Å, β=96.154(4)°; for (II) a=11.259(7), b=5.461(4), c=11.109(7) Å, β=96.65(1)°; for (III) a=19.7271(5), b=5.4376(2), c=16.9730(6) Å, β=131.932(1)°. Least squares refinements on F² converged for (I) to R1=0.0554, wR₂=0.1408; for (II) R₁=0.0647, wR₂=0.1697; for (III) R₁=0.0385, wR₂=0.1023. The crystals are complexly twinned by 2-fold rotation about , by inversion and by mirror reflection. The structures consist of edge-sharing articulations of OBi₄ tetrahedra forming layers in the a-c plane that then continue by edge-sharing parallel to the b-axis. The three-dimensional networks are bridged by Fe and Ni octahedra in (I) and (II) and by Zn trigonal bipyramids in (III) as well as by oxygen atoms of the PO₄ moieties. Bi also randomly occupies the octahedral sites. Oxygen vacancies exist in the structures of the three compounds due to required charge balances and they occur in the octahedral coordination polyhedron of the transition metal. In compound (III), no positional disorder in atomic sites is present. The Bi-O coordination polyhedra are trigonal prisms with one, two or three faces capped. Magnetic susceptibility data for compound (I) were obtained between 4.2 and 350 K. Between 4.2 and 250 K it is paramagnetic, μ_eff=6.1 μ_B; a magnetic transition occurs above 250 K.     

Near infrared study of aqueous rare-earth ethylsulfates

The near infrared spectra of aqueous solutions of the ethylsulfates of La, Nd, Gd, Tb, Er, Yb, Lu, Y, and Na have been determined from about 0.2 mol-dm^–3 to nearly saturation. The extinction coefficients of water have been calculated taking into account the absorption of ethylslfate anions determined in separate experiments. Their values appeared to be nearly the same as that of pure water. The relative contents of free OH groups in 0.5 and 0.7M solutions have been estimated from the absorbances at 1160 nm. They were lower in solutions of the heavy rare-earth ethylsulfates (Tb, Er, Yb, Lu) than in equimolar solutions of the lighter ones (La, Nd), confirming our previous view that secondary hydration of the heavy trivalent rare-earth cations is distinctly stronger than that of the lighter ones. A comparison of the spectra of these aqueous ethylsulfates with those of perchlorates shows that the structure-breaking ability of the C₂H₅SO ₄ ^– ion is much smaller than that of perchlorate anion.     

电感耦合等离子体光谱法(ICP-AES)测定银精矿中铜、铅、锌、砷、镉、钙、镁、锰含量

针对银精矿样品复杂,难消解的特点,研究了不同酸溶法和碱熔法对样品的消解情况,建立了硝酸,盐酸,氢氟酸,高氯酸消解银精矿的方法。根据元素灵敏度和抗干扰性,选定各元素的测定波长。通过酸溶样和碱熔样测定结果比对,验证了方法准确性。建立了四酸消解-电感耦合等离子体光谱法测定银精矿中铜、铅、锌、砷、镉、钙、镁、锰含量的方法,元素的线性相关系数均在0.9999以上。通过共存元素干扰实验,确定了银精矿中高含量元素(铜、铅、锌、铁、锑、铋等)对测定元素结果没有影响。方法检出限：Cu 0.0063 mg/L, Pb 0.0159 mg/L ,Zn 0.0090 mg/L,As 0.0192 mg/L, Cd 0.0093 mg/L ,Ca 0.0084 mg/L, Mg 0.0075 mg/L, Mn 0.0081 mg/L。测定下限：Cu 0.0105mg/L,Pb 0.0265 mg/L, Zn 0.0150 mg/L, As 0.0320 mg/L, Cd 0.0155 mg/L, Ca 0.0140 mg/L, Mg 0.0125 mg/L,Mn 0.0135 mg/L。3个样品的相对标准偏差在0.87%~3.56%之间,加标回收率在95.00%~103.56%之间。方法流程短,操作简单,快速,灵敏度和再现性高,结果准确可靠,可以满足银精矿中铜、铅、锌、砷、镉、钙、镁、锰含量的测定。     

Structural studies of five layer Aurivillius oxides: A2Bi4Ti5O18 (A=Ca, Sr, Ba and Pb)

The room temperature structures of the five layer Aurivillius phases A₂Bi₄Ti₅O₁₈ (A=Ca, Sr, Ba and Pb) have been refined from powder neutron diffraction data using the Rietveld method. The structures consist of [Bi₂O₂]²⁺ layers interleaved with perovskite-like [A₂Bi₂Ti₅O₁₆]²⁻ blocks. The structures were refined in the orthorhombic space group B2eb (SG. No. 41), Z=4, and the unit cell parameters of the oxides are a=5.4251(2), b=5.4034(1), c=48.486(1); a=5.4650(2), b=5.4625(3), c=48.852(1); a=5.4988(3), b=5.4980(4), c=50.352(1); a=5.4701(2), b=5.4577(2), c=49.643(1) for A=Ca, Sr, Ba and Pb, respectively. The structural features of the compounds were found similar to n=2-4 layers bismuth oxides. The strain caused by mismatch of cell parameter requirements for the [Bi₂O₂]²⁺ layers and perovskite-like [A₂Bi₂Ti₅O₁₆]²⁻ blocks were relieved by tilting of the TiO₆ octahedra. Variable temperature synchrotron X-ray studies for Ca and Pb compounds showed that the orthorhombic structure persisted up to 675 and 475 K, respectively. Raman spectra of the compounds are also presented.     

B2O3-Bi2O3-ZnO-Al2O3玻璃助烧剂对BaTiO3陶瓷烧结条件、晶体结构和介电性能的影响

通过调节B₂O₃-Bi₂O₃-ZnO-Al₂O₃(BBZA)玻璃的添加量研究其对钛酸钡(BaTiO₃)陶瓷烧结条件、晶体结构和介电性能的影响。结果表明：添加适量的BBZA玻璃能够有效地将BaTiO₃陶瓷烧结温度由1 350℃降至950℃,并使其致密化。同时,添加BBZA玻璃后,BaTiO₃的晶体结构随着烧结温度的升高而发生转变(立方相→四方相)。另外,BBZA玻璃的引入使BaTiO₃陶瓷的居里峰得到了有效的抑制和拓宽。陶瓷微观形貌显示,玻璃相均匀分布在BaTiO₃晶粒表面。优化的BaTiO₃陶瓷制备条件如下：BBZA添加量(质量分数)为2.0%,烧结温度为950℃。在该条件下制备的BaTiO₃陶瓷介电常数达到1 364,介电损耗低至1.2%。     

Preparation of ZrO2-TiO2-CeO2 and Its Application in the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with NH3

TiO₂,ZrO₂-TiO₂,andZrO₂-TiO₂-CeO₂ were prepared by co-precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), specific surface area measurements (BET), temperature programmed desorption (NH₃-TPD), oxygen storage capacity (OSC), and temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR). The results showed that ZrO₂-TiO₂-CeO₂ exhibited large number of surface strong acid, possessed some oxygen storage capacity, and strong redox property. The three materials were used as supports and the monolith catalysts were prepared with 1% (w) V₂O₅ and 9% (w)WO₃ for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with ammonia in the presence of excessive O₂, and the results of catalytic activity showed that the catalyst used ZrO₂-TiO₂-CeO₂ as support yielded nearly 100% NO conversion at 275 °C at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 10000 h⁻¹, and it had the best catalytic activity and showed great potential for practical application.     

The Phase Relations in the System In2O3–TiO2–MgO at 1100 and 1350°C

The phase relations in the system In₂O₃–TiO₂–MgO at 1100 and 1350°C are determined by a classical quenching method. In this system, there are four pseudobinary compounds, In₂TiO₅, MgTi₂O₅ (pseudobrookite type), MgTiO₃ (ilmenite type), and Mg₂TiO₄ (spinel type) at 1100°C. At 1350°C, in addition to these compounds there exist a spinel-type solid solution Mg_2−xIn_2xTi_1−xO₄ (0≤x≤1) and a compound In₆Ti₆MgO₂₂ with lattice constants a=5.9236(7) Å, b=3.3862(4) Å, c=6.3609(7) Å, β=108.15(1)°, and q=0.369, which is isostructural with the monoclinic In₃Ti₂FeO₁₀ in the system In₂O₃–TiO₂–MgO. The relation between the lattice constants of the spinel phase and the composition nearly satisfies Vegard's law. In₆Ti₆MgO₂₂ extends a solid solution range to In₂₀Ti₁₇Mg₃O₆₇ with lattice constants of a=5.9230(5) Å, b=3.3823(3) Å, c=6.3698(6) Å, β=108.10(5)°, and q=0.360. The distributions of constituent cations in the solid solutions are discussed in terms of their ionic radius and site preference effect.     

Solid-solid interactions in pure and Li2O-doped manganese and magnesium mixed oxides system

The solid-solid interactions between manganese and magnesium oxides in absence and in presence of small amounts of Li₂O have been investigated. The molar ratios between manganese and magnesium oxides in the form of Mn₂O₃ and MgO were varied between 0.05:1 to 0.5:1. The mixed solids were calcined in air at 400-1000°C. The techniques employed were DTA, XRD and H₂O₂ decomposition at 20-40°C.The results obtained revealed that solid-solid interactions took place between the reacting solids at 600-1000°C yielding magnesium manganates (Mg₂MnO₄, Mg₆MnO₈, MgMnO₄ besides unreacted portions of MgO, Mn₂O₃ and Mn₃O₄). Li₂O-doping (0.75-6 mol%) of the investigated system followed by calcination at 600 and 800°C decreased progressively the intensity of the diffraction lines of Mn₂O₃ (Bixbyite) with subsequent increase in the lattice parameter 'a' of MgO to an extent proportional to the amount of Li₂O added. This finding might suggest that the doping process enhanced the dissolution of Mn₂O₃ in MgO forming solid solution. This treatment led also to the formation of Li₂MnO₃. Furthermore, the doping with 3 and 6 mol% Li₂O conducted at 800°C resulted in the conversion of Mn₂O₃ into Mn₃O₄, a process that took place at 1000°C in absence of Li₂O. The produced Li₂MnO₃ phase remained stable by heating at up to 1000°C. Furthermore, Li₂O doping of the investigated system at 400-1000°C resulted in a progressive measurable increase in the particle size of MgO.The catalytic activity measurements showed that the increase in the molar ratio of Mn₂O₃ in the samples precalcined at 400-800°C was accompanied by a significant increase in the catalytic activity of the treated solids. The maximum increase in the catalytic activity expressed as reaction rate constant measured at 20°C (k _20°C) attained 3.14, 2.67 and 3.25-fold for the solids precalcined at 400, 600 and 800°C, respectively. Li₂O-doping of the samples having the formula 0.1 Mn₂O₃/MgO conducted at 400-600°C brought a progressive significant increase in its catalytic activity. The maximum increase in the value of k _20°C due to Li₂O attained 1.93 and 2.75-fold for the samples preheated at 400 and 600°C, respectively and opposite effect was found for the doped samples preheated at 800°C.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.