Differences in the catalytic properties of Fe isotopes

Abstract

The significant differences in the catalytic properties caused by different ‘isotopic catalysts’ were discovered for the first time. The commonly purchased Fe₂O₃ is a ‘mixture’ of different Fe isotopic oxides which means the catalytic effect of Fe₂O₃ is theoretically a synthetical result of all isotopic compounds. In this work, the differences in catalytic properties of α-Fe₂O₃ with natural abundance ratio and separated isotopic α-Fe₂O₃ (α-⁵⁴Fe₂O₃, α-⁵⁶Fe₂O₃, and α-⁵⁸Fe₂O₃) catalyzing thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) were investigated, and are mainly attributed to the difference in the charge distribution of the nuclei of different iron isotopes. The result suggests that isotope effects in different isotopes when utilized as catalysts are caused by nuclear morphology and the nuclear charge distribution. This study will serve as a base as well as an initiation for future studies of the isotopic catalyst.