Analogues of the active and inactive sodium carbonate

Abstract

The reactivity of the anhydrous carbonates of alkaline metals with sulphur dioxide has been studied experimentally in dependence both on the nature of the cation and on the way of preparation of the anhydrous carbonate. The carbonates were prepared either by thermal decomposition of hydrogen carbonates or by thermal dehydration of carbonate hydrates. The carbonates of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium and caesium have been investigated. Kinetic measurements were carried out in a flow reactor in the integral regime at 423 K under atmospheric pressure, with a gas containing 0.2 vol.% of sulphur dioxide and 2.0 vol.% of water vapour in the nitrogen as a carrier gas. The reactivities have been compared on the basis of time dependence of the conversion of carbonate to sulphite.