One of the latest research projects is dedicated to iron-containing catalysts including mixed Fe(II, III) oxides. The compounds are studied by Mossbauer spectroscopy.
The extreme sensitivity of Mossbauer spectroscopy is very conducive to the analysis of iron-containing compounds.
As a result, phase conversions of the oxides were studied. "In the oil industry, Mossbauer spectroscopy is often used to find out the scale of de-copperization of oil under the influence of a catalyst," adds co-author Aliya Khaidarova.
The conversion degree of the compounds increased as the duration of the experiment increased, which indicates that the disperse iron compounds participate multiple times in the cleavage of chemical bonds. Results of Mossbauer spectroscopy indicate that maghemite is reduced to magnetite when the iron oxides react with water vapor during the catalytic aquathermolysis of crude oil at 250 °C.