X-Ray Diffraction and Gravimetric Study of Thermal Transformation of Synthetic Gibbsite

Dehydration reactions of synthetic gibbsite (well and poorly crystalline) have been studied by X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric and differential thermal analysis. Crystallite size of the ordered material has been calculated from diffraction line broadening of X-ray reflections and for highly disordered gibbsite the grain size is calculated from electron micrographs. The activation energies of dehydration of gibbsite → boehmite and gibbsite → x-Al2O3 have been evaluated.