Chlorination of Lanthanum Oxide

The reactive system La2O3(s)-Cl-2(g) was studied in the temperature range 260-950 degrees C. The reaction course was followed by thermogravimetry, and the solids involved were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results showed that the reaction leads to the formation of solid LaOCl, and for temperatures above 850 degrees C, the lanthanum oxychloride is chlorinated, producing LaCl3(l). The formation of the oxychloride progresses through a nucleation and growth mechanism, and the kinetic analysis showed that at temperatures below 325 degrees C the system is under chemical control. The influence of diffusive processes on the kinetics of production of LaOCl was evaluated by studying the effect of the reactive gas flow rate, the mass of the sample, and the chlorine diffusion through the boundary layer surrounding the solid sample. The conversion curves were analyzed and fitted according to the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami description, and the reaction order with respect to the chlorine partial pressure was obtained by varying this partial pressure between 10 and 70 kPa. The rate equation was obtained, which includes the influence of the temperature, chlorine partial pressure, and reaction degree.