| Abstract: | Crystals of the trans-octahedral complex Co(4-Vpy)4(NCS)2 on being heated below the melting point decompose with liberation of 4-vinylpyridine (Vpy) and concurrent polymerization of the free monomer. The two reactions have been followed by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, and optical microscopy. Polymerization is inhibited by inclusion of hydroquinone during recrystallization of the complex. This has allowed the kinetic analysis of the decomposition and polymerization to be simplified. Isothermal mass-loss determinations under reduced pressure (10?2 torr), at various temperatures in the range 120–160°C, on hydroquinone-inhibited crystals corresponded to the loss of up to three molecules of vinylpyridine per molecule of starting complex. With uninhibited crystals over the same temperature range the total number of ligands lost was approximately two with a marked decrease near 175°C owing to rapid polymerization. Isothermal decomposition curves for inhibited and uninhibited crystals approximated to the Avrami-Erofeev equation. Values of n varied with temperature. Activation energies for decomposition and polymerization for both types of crystal were estimated from Arrhenius plots. |
