Product prediction: Intermediates formed during rare earth reactions

Abstract

Thermal analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and HR-XRD (High Resolution XRD) were used to identify thermal behavior products in a family of solid-state reactions involving rare earth (REE) reagents. REE where sorted in light and heavy groups. The general reactions under study were: REE2O3 + Fe2O3 + As2O3 → 2REEFeO3 + As2O3 ↑ and 2REE(OH)3 + Fe2O3 + As2O3 → 2REEFeO3 + As2O3↑ + 3H2O, REE= La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, and Yb. Based on the experimental results, it is possible to predict the different compounds of REE products in a series of reactions analyzing only three of the reactions, two for light REE and one for heavy REE. © 2014, Sociedad Química de México.