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Kinetic Study of Sodium-Water Surface Reaction by Differential thermal analysis (DTA) (CAT#: STEM-ACT-0024-WXH)

Introduction

Placing a chunk of sodium metal in contact with water results in a violent, and often explosive, reaction. This is due to the sodium donating an electron to hydrogen ions in the water, which leads to the emission of heat and the creation of hydrogen gas.




Principle

Differential thermal analysis (DTA) is a thermoanalytic technique that is similar to differential scanning calorimetry. In DTA, the material under study and an inert reference are made to undergo identical thermal cycles, (i.e., same cooling or heating programme) while recording any temperature difference between sample and reference. This differential temperature is then plotted against time, or against temperature (DTA curve, or thermogram). Changes in the sample, either exothermic or endothermic, can be detected relative to the inert reference. Thus, a DTA curve provides data on the transformations that have occurred, such as glass transitions, crystallization, melting and sublimation. The area under a DTA peak is the enthalpy change and is not affected by the heat capacity of the sample.

Applications

A DTA curve can be used only as a finger print for identification purposes but usually the applications of this method are the determination of phase diagrams, heat change measurements and decomposition in various atmospheres.
DTA is widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries.
DTA may be used in cement chemistry, mineralogical research and in environmental studies.

Procedure

In DTA, the material under study and an inert reference are made to undergo identical thermal cycles, (i.e., same cooling or heating programme) while recording any temperature difference between sample and reference.

Materials

Differential Thermal Analyzer / DTA Analyzer
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