Everything about Thermal Decomposition totally explained
» For the biological process, see Decomposition. For chemical decomposition in general, see Chemical decomposition.
Thermal decomposition, also called
thermolysis, is defined as a
chemical reaction whereby a
chemical substance breaks up into at least two chemical substances when heated. The reaction is usually
endothermic as heat is required to break
chemical bonds in the compound undergoing decomposition. The
decomposition temperature of a substance is the
temperature at which the substance
decomposes into smaller substances or into its constituent
atoms.
For example,
calcium carbonate decomposes into
calcium oxide and
carbon dioxide. Some compounds, on the other hand, simply decompose into their constituent elements.
Water, when heated to well over 2000 degrees
Celsius, breaks up into its components -
hydrogen and
oxygen.
A common example is the decomposition of
copper carbonate into
copper oxide and
carbon dioxide, seen here:
» CuCO3 →
CuO +
CO2
The
copper carbonate turns from a green powder into a black
copper oxide, and
carbon dioxide is released in a gaseous state.
Decomposition may be aided by the presence of a catalyst. For example, hydrogen peroxide decomposes more quickly with the use of manganese(IV) oxide:
» 2H
2O
2(aq) → 2H
2O(l) + O
2(g)
High temperatures can also induce
polymerization, which produces larger molecules, possibly also causing thermal decomposition and evaporation of smaller molecules in the process. Such reactions are called
pyrolysis reactions. A common example is
coking, which is the formation of an amorphous carbon structure along with the evaporation of hydrogen and other pyrolysis gases.
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