Thermal Decomposition Reaction of Ferrocene in the Presence of Oxalic Acid

Thermal decomposition of ferrocene [(C₅H₅)₂Fe] in the presence of oxalic acid [(COOH)₂·2H₂O] samples—prepared by grinding the mixtures of ferrocene and oxalic acid at different weight ratios—is reported in this work. It presents a mathematical analysis of nonisothermal thermogravimetric data using multiheating rates to estimate reaction kinetics as well as thermodynamic parameters. Model‐free (integral isoconversional) methods are employed to analyze thermogravimetric data. The most probable reaction mechanisms for thermal reactions have been identified. Based on the values of the activation energy E_α* and reaction rate A_α for different steps of decomposition, the values of ΔS *, ΔH *, and ΔG * for the formation of activated complex from the precursor are estimated. Besides, this work has proposed reaction pathways indicating the formation of hematite (α‐Fe₂O₃) as the solid end‐product of thermal decomposition of the samples.