Study of thermal decomposition of a zinc(II) monomethyl terephthalate complex, [Zn(CH3O-CO-C6H4COO)2(OH2)3]•2H2O

In this contribution, we report the thermal decomposition and thermo-X-ray diffraction analyses of a Zn II monomethyl terephthalate complex, [Zn(CH3O-CO-C6H4COO) 2(OH2)(3)]center dot 2H(2)O. Both XRD and temperature-dependent T-XRD patterns for the title compound in the thermal decomposition process (temperature range 30-300 degrees C) present diffraction peaks reminiscent of ordered, crystalline structure of the starting complex [Zn(CH3O-CO-C6H4COO)(2)(OH2)(3)]center dot 2H(2)O. Crystallization and coordination water molecules of the title complex are eliminated in successive steps, and then the anhydrous complex decomposes to ZnO (the total experimentalmass loss of 84.80 % versus the theoretical mass loss, 84.23 %). The formation of ZnO of wurtzite structure (hexagonal phase, space group P6(3)(m)c) as spherical nanoparticles with average size of 58 nm has been confirmed by XRD, SEM and EDX analyses performed on the final product.