Precipitation and characterization of cerous carbonate

The precipitation of cerous carbonate was studied using ammonium bicarbonate as precipitant. The good crystalline cerous carbonate was prepared by aging it in a suitable condition. The aging kinetics was investigated using the SEM method. The size and morphology of cerous carbonate were found to depend on the stirring time and the concentration ratio of cerous chloride to ammonium bicarbonate. The results of the chemical analyses suggest that cerous carbonate is synthesized as the normal carbonate. The X-ray power diffraction data indicate that the structure is closely related to those of lanthanite-type rare-earth carbonates. The IR data for cerous carbonate show the presence of two different carbonate groups. The thermal decomposition of cerous carbonate contains the processes of dehydration, decarbonation and oxidation of Ce3+ to Ce4+.