Synthesis and thermal decomposition of Cr-urea complex

In this work, Cr-urea complex ([Cr(NH2CONH2)(6)](NO3)(3)) was synthesized by direct solid-state reaction of chromium nitrate and urea, and its thermal decomposition reaction was studied for the first time to explore the possibilities of using the complex as precursor to nanosized chromium oxide. The formation of [Cr(NH2CONH2)(6)](NO3)(3) is confirmed from infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis of the compound show a three-stage thermal decomposition in the temperature range from 190 to 430 A degrees C. The result of X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the [Cr(NH2CONH2)(6)](NO3)(3) decompose at similar to 300 A degrees C into alpha-Cr2O3 nanopowder with an average crystallite size of 33 nm.