Thermal Behaviour of Mercury(II) Carboxylates

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Abstract
Data are presented on thermotropic phase transition temperatures and heats of phase changes for even-chain-length mercury(II) carboxylates from octanoate to octadecanoate inclusive. Phase structures are characterised by hot stage polarising light microscopy and x-ray diffractometry. Mesophases are not observed in the phase sequences, for octanoate to tetradecanoate, as suggested by Adeosun. Rather, these compounds exhibit simple melting and melt recrystallisation only. In contrast, a pre-melting transition is observed in each of mercury(II) hexadecanoate and octadecanoate, probably as a consequence of some modifications to the usual bilayer arrangement of molecules within the layers. For these, crystalline polymorphism is observed. The data are interpreted in terms of the disordering of hydrocarbon chains as the major process occurring up to and during melting.

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