Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2015-09-21

Isotopic studies of the ammonia decomposition reaction mediated by sodium amide.

Thomas J Wood, Joshua W Makepeace, Hazel M A Hunter, Martin O Jones, William I F David

Index: Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 17 , 22999-3006, (2015)

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Abstract

We demonstrate that the ammonia decomposition reaction catalysed by sodium amide proceeds under a different mechanism to ammonia decomposition over transition metal catalysts. Isotopic variants of ammonia and sodium amide reveal a significant kinetic isotope effect in contrast to the nickel-catalysed reaction where there is no such effect. The bulk composition of the catalyst is also shown to affect the kinetics of the ammonia decomposition reaction.