Hydrolysis of ternary carbides of manganese Mn3MC (M = Al, Ga, In, Sn)

Abstract

Perovskite type ternary carbides of manganese Mn3MC (M = Al, Ga, In, Sn) are hydrolyzable by acids, water and air moisture. Mn3AlC is hydrolyzed most readily; its linear corrosion rate with liquid water is 0.3 μm h-1 at 60 °C, whereas the value for Mn3GaC is 0.06 μm h-1. The reactivity decreases with increasing nobleness of the nontransition metal involved. The hydrolysis process gives rise to a mixture of hydrogen and methane and a low amount of higher saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons whose fractions are consistent with the concept of the radical mechanism of the hydrolysis reaction.