ISSN: 2319-8753 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization) Vol. 3, Issue 11, November 2014 DOI: 10.15680/IJIRSET.2014.0311038 Copyright to IJIRSET www.ijirset.com 17345 Thermal Study of Cadmium Levo-Tartrate Crystals Harshkant Jethva Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Maharaja Shree Mahendrasinhji Science College, Morbi, Gujarat, India ABSTRACT: Metal tartrate compounds find various applications. Lead tartrate is added in gasoline to prevent knocking in motors, while, cadmium tartarte crystals possess piezoelectric nature. In the present study, cadmium levo-tartrate crystals were grown using silica hydro-gel as growth medium. Yellowish white dendrite type crystals were obtained. The crystals were characterized by Thermo gravimetric analysis and kinetic as well as thermodynamic parameters were evaluated for the different stage of decomposition. KEY WORDS: Cadmium levo-tartrate crystals, gel growth, thermo gravimetric analysis, kinetic parameters, thermodynamic parameters. I. INTRODUCTION The crystals are the pillars of modern electronic and the field of science and technology. The supply of natural crystals is limited, while the new materials in the crystalline form are required for the development. The crystals can be grown by various methods. In the present article, the gel method is used to grow the pure crystals of cadmium levo-tartrate. This is a simple technique and can be used at room temperature. This technique is one of the best alternatives for the growth of crystals which are relatively insoluble or sparingly soluble in water and decompose before their melting points. Gel acts as a 3 dimensional crucible which supports the growing crystal and at the same time yields to its growth without exerting major forces on it. In the literature, many pure tartrate compounds are reported which have been grown by gel technique, for example, iron tartrate [1], cobalt tartrate [2-4] and lead tartrate [5]. In the present work, pure cadmium levo-tartrate crystals were grown by gel technique. The crystals were characterized by thermo gravimetric analysis and kinetic as well as thermodynamic parameters were evaluated for the different stage of decomposition. II. MATERIALS AND METHOD In the present study, the single diffusion method [5-8] was employed for the growth of cadmium levo-tartrate crystals. The silica hydro gel was used as a growth medium. To prepare the gel, a solution of sodium metasilicate of 1.05 specific gravity and 1 M solution of levo tartaric acid were mixed in such a manner that the pH of the mixture was set at 4.5. The gel solution was poured in to glass test tubes of 15 cm length and 2.5 cm diameter and allowed to set in the gel form. The supernatant solution containing cadmium nitrate solutions was poured on the set gel carefully without damaging the gel. All the chemicals were of AR grade and obtained from Sigma Aldrich. The following reaction is expected to take place in the formation of cadmium levo-tartrate crystals. Cd(NO 3 ) 2 ∙4H 2 O + H 2 C 4 H 4 O 6 + nH 2 O → CdC 4 H 4 O 6 ∙ nH 2 O + 2HNO 3 + 4H 2 O (1) The amount of HNO 3 produced is very less in comparison to the nutrients being supplied to the growing crystals and hence no major limitation is imposed [5-8].