Thermal decomposition of K3Co(CN)5L in hydrogen atmosphere and the influence of reduced iron powder

The thermal decomposition of K 3 Co(CN) 5 L (L = CN − , NO 2 − , N 3 − , NO) in a hydrogen atmosphere has been studied by gas chromatography. The first stage of thermal decomposition of these complexes is to release crystal water if contained, and the second stage is to dissociate the ligand at very high speed, with a large amount of heat being released when LN 3 − . Thirdly, the residual cyano-cobalt complex is further decomposed to form HCN, (CN) 2 and N 2 and a little NH 3 and CH 4 . In the presence of iron powder, the evolution of NH 3 is increased greatly, whereas HCN disappeared entirely. The influence of reduced iron powder upon the decomposition is also studied.