A kinetic and mechanistic study of thermal decomposition of strontium titanyl oxalate

Thermal decomposition of anhydrous strontium titanyl oxalate proceeds through a series of complex reactions to form strontium metatitanate at high temperature. Among them the decomposition of oxalate is the first major thermal event. A kinetic study of oxalate decomposition in the temperature range 553-593 K has been carried out by cooled gas pressure measurement in vacuum. Results fitted the Zhuravlev equation for almost the entire α-range (0.05-0.92) indicating the occurrence of a diffusion-controlled, three-dimensional rate process. The activation energy has been calculated to be 164 ± 10 kJ mol⁻¹. Results from elemental analysis, TGA, IR and SEM studies of undecomposed and partially decomposed samples have been used to supplement kinetic observations in formulating the mechanism for oxalate decomposition.