Polymeric Gaseous Species in the Sublimation of Molybdenum Trioxide

Mass spectometric analysis of the vapor in thermodynamic equilibrium with powdered molybdenum trioxide, as sampled from a Knudsen effusion cell, has shown that the vapor phase consists predominantly of Mo3O9, Mo4O12 and Mo5O15 molecules. Utilizing the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, individual heats of sublimation have been determined to be 80.5±1.5, 93.6±1.6 and 105.6±3.5 kcal/mole respectively at 850° K. The heats of formation and third law entropies have been evaluated for each of these molecules.