Studies on lanthanoid sulphites: Part IV. Thermal decomposition of erbium sulphite trihydrate under various experimental conditions

Thermal behaviour of Er₂(SO₃)₃· 3H₃O has been studied by means of TG, DTG, DTA, DSC and EGA techniques. Experimental conditions were also varied, $\text{viz.}$ sample size, heating rate and the atmosphere.The dehydration starts slowly above 150°C but the release of water is rapid around 250°C. SO₂ gas is evolved slowly and simultaneously with H₂O. The anhydrous sulphite is formed below 300°C after which it decomposes through several reactions accompanied by a release of mainly SO₂, but also a small amount of SO₃ near 650°C. In air, there is a clear plateau in the TG curve between 600 and 800°C; the weight loss involved depends strongly on the sample size and heating rate, however. A plausible explanation for the plateau is the formation of a mixture of Er₂(SO₄)₃, Er₂O(SO₄)₂ and Er₂O₂SO₄. The next plateau around 900 – 1000°C corresponds to Er₂O(SO₄)₂ and Er₂O₂SO₄. In nitrogen atmosphere, the first plateau after the anhydrous sulphite appears later in the weight scale as compared to air. Although the position of the plateau corresponds to the sesquisulphide, it is according to X-ray diffraction results a mixture of Er₂O₂(SO₄) and Er₂O₃. In both air and nitrogen, the final reaction step above 1000°C is the formation of Er₂O₃.