Abstract
The thermal decomposition of cinnamate complexes of cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) was carried out using thermogravimetry (TG), derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The kinetics and mechanism of the decomposition process were evaluated. The different stages of decomposition were identified from the TG and DTG curves. The kinetic parameters were evaluated from the TG curves using the Coats-Redfern equation. For cobalt and nickel cinnamate the decomposition process follows the mechanism of three dimensional diffusion D3 while the decomposition mechanism of copper cinnamate follows the random nucleation mechanism F1 with the formation of one nucleus on each particle (Mample equation). The heat of reaction for the decomposition process was determined using DSC.