Effect of cadmium oxide and cadmium perchlorate on the decomposition and ignition of ammonium perchlorate

TLDR: In this paper, the effect of the electron concentration and excess cadmium in the Cadmium oxide was investigated to explain the rate-accelerating effect of CadMium oxide on ammonium perchlorate.

Abstract: The addition of cadmium oxide to ammonium perchlorate increased the rate and extent of its slow decomposition and lowered its ignition temperature by about 180°C. The activation energy of the catalytic decomposition was about 29 kcal, corresponding to the activation energy of the electron-transfer mechanism. To explain the rate-accelerating effect of cadmium oxide, the effect of the electron concentration and excess cadmium in the cadmium oxide was investigated. Neither the electric properties nor the excess cadmium plays any decisive role in the catalytic effect. However, ammonium perchlorate and cadmium oxide react to form cadmium perchlorate, which proved to be a very active additive. In its presence, ammonium perchlorate decomposed completely below 240°C and it exploded at 257°C. The activation energy of the slow decomposition and of the reaction leading to the explosion was about 29.5 kcal. The observed rate acceleration was attributed to fusion of the ammonium perchlorate and to the high polarizing power of the cadmium ion. This idea was supported by results of the study of the effect of the perchlorates of magnesium, zinc, cadmium, and lithium.