A Novel Method for the Synthesis of Rare Earth Carbonates

Abstract

The rare earth carbonates, M₂(CO₃)₃ · xH₂O, of Pr(III), Nd(III), Eu(III), Gd(III), Tb(III), Dy(III), Ho(III), Er(III), Tm(III), and Yb(III) have been synthesized by a novel synthetic method involving the reaction of aqueous solutions of the lanthanide(III) chloride with urea at ∼90 °C. A study of the infrared (IR) absorption spectra (400–4000 cm⁻¹) of the formed products clearly indicates the absence of bands due to urea and shows the characteristic bands of carbonate ion. A general mechanism describing the formation of lanthanide(III) carbonates, M₂(CO₃)₃ · xH₂O, is suggested.

Keywords:

• Rare earth carbonates
• Lanthanide(III)
• Elemental analysis
• Infrared spectra

Acknowledgment

The author thanks the Department of General Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Marie Curie Skłodowska University, 20‐031 Lublin, Poland, for supplying the rare earth salts and financial support of this work.