Thermodynamics of the thermal decomposition of calcium oxalate monohydrate examined theoretically

Geometries and energies of isolated CaC₂O₄·H₂O, CaC₂O₄, CaCO₃, CaO, H₂O, CO and CO₂ were determined at the ab initio level using effective core potential valence basis sets of doublezeta quality, supplemented with polarization functions. The effects of electron correlation were taken into account at the second order Møller-Plesset level of theory. For CaC₂O₄·H₂O, the correlation for the basis set superposition error was also included. Common routines were employed to evaluate entropies, heat capacities, as well as enthalpies and free enthalpies of formation of all entities. The enthalphies and free enthalpies of consecutive dehydration of CaC₂O₄·H₂O, decarbonylation of CaC₂O₄ and decomposition of CaCO₃ towards CaO and CO₂ were determined on the basis of avialable data from the literature or those predicted thoretically. Assuming that upon all the above mentioned processes the system maintains equilibrium, the fractions reacted, enthalpy changes and differential dependencies of thesevs. temperature were derived and compared with experimental thermoanalytical data.