Study on thermal decomposition of copper(II) acetate monohydrate in air

The thermal decomposition of copper(II) acetate monohydrate (CuAc₂·H₂O) under 500 °C in air was studied by TG/DTG, DTA, in situ FTIR and XRD experiments. The experimental results showed that the thermal decomposition of CuAc₂·H₂O under 500 °C in air included three main steps. CuAc₂·H₂O was dehydrated under 168 °C; CuAc₂ decomposed to initial solid products and volatile products at 168–302 °C; the initial solid products Cu and Cu₂O were oxidized to CuO in air at 302–500 °C. The copper acetate peroxides were found to form between 100 and 150 °C, and the dehydration of these peroxides resulted in the presence of CuAc₂·H₂O above 168 °C. The initial solid products were found to be the admixture of Cu, Cu₂O, and CuO, not simply the single Cu₂O as reported before. Detailed reactions involved in these three steps were proposed to describe the complete mechanism and course of the thermal decomposition of CuAc₂·H₂O in air.