Thermal Decomposition of Lanthanide, Yttrium, and Scandium Oxalates and Carbonates

Data concerning the thermal decomposition of lanthanide, yttrium, and scandium oxalates and carbonates are surveyed. The complexity of the process, the large number of stages involved, and the dependence of the composition of the intermediates in the thermal transformations on the experimental conditions is noted. Certain process characteristics have been discovered and it is concluded that the decomposition process depends on the ionic radius of the metal. The bibliography includes 83 references.