Neutron Diffraction Study of Self-Curing and Self-Crystallization Phenomena of Low-Temperature Dehydrogenating Products of Powder Crystals of Rare-Earth Metals Trihydroxides

Abstract

The phenomenon of hydrogen thermoemission out of a crystal lattice of powder rare-earth metals trihydrooxides R(OH) 3 (R is La, Pr, Nd) was found. The hydrogen thermo emission out of a crystal lattice is partial or full removal of hydrogen out of the crystal lattice of powder hydrogen-containing crystal without change of symmetry of such crystal at continuous evacuation of high vacuum at evacuation temperature of Т ev. which is lower than recrystallization Т recrys. or disintegration (T disinteg. ) temperature of this crystal: Т ev. < Т recrys . < T disineg. . By neutron diffraction it is found that low- temperature ( Т evacuation = 400 - 420 K ) removal of hydrogen (by hydrogen thermoemission) out of a crystal lattice of trihydrooxide R(OH) 3 under continuous high vacuum evacuating makes possible to obtain metastable “trioxide” R[O] 3 . Existence of such substance contradicts to the valence law (oxygen is bivalent and Pr is trivalent in hydroxides). Such “trioxide” h as a superfluous negative charge: R 3+ O 6- . So they aspire to “capture” three more protons (hydrogen ions) from a water molecules. Obviously, this substance can be stable at low temperatures and in the mediums, which are not containing hydrogen. In the air at room temperature this substance, most likely, interacting with water molecules, gradually again turns into trihydroxide R(OH) 3 , compensating the superfluous negative charge by three hydrogen atoms. From this it follows that substance R[O 3 ] can simultaneously be an absorber of hydrogen and generator of oxygen at atmospheric conditions and in any mediums which contains water molecules, without any prior processing like heating or high pressure. Thus, the obtained material, without any prior processing like heating or high pressure, can simultaneously be oxygen generator and hydrogen accumulator in any mediums characteristic of R[O 3 ] to transform into stable form R(OH) 3 by selective bonding of hydrogen from the hydrogen-containing environment allow ing implication of Pr[O 3 ] as the hydrogen selective absorber. Separation (by low-temperature removal) of hydrogen out of R(OH) 3 lattice can again lead to restoration of its capabilities to be a simultaneous hydrogen accumulator and oxygen generator in a medium containing water molecules.