Molar heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of crystalline [Nd(Glu)(H2O)5(Im)3](ClO4)6·2H2O

A complex of neodymium perchloric acid coordinated with L-glutamic acid and imidazole, [Nd(Glu)(H2O)5(Im)3](ClO4)6·2H2O was synthesized and characterized by IR and elements analysis for the first time. The thermodynamic properties of the complex were studied with an automatic adiabatic calorimeter and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Glass transition and phase transition were discovered at 221.83 and 245.45 K, respectively. The glass transition was interpreted as a freezing-in phenomenon of the reorientational motion of ClO4− ions and the phase transition was attributed to the orientational order/disorder process of ClO4− ions. The heat capacities of the complex were measured with the automatic adiabatic calorimeter and the thermodynamic functions [HT-H298.15] and [ST-S298.15] were derived in the temperature range from 80 to 390 K with temperature interval of 5 K. Thermal decomposition behavior of the complex in nitrogen atmosphere was studied by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).