Boehmite diaspore seed crystals

Diaspore, which is thermodynamically more stable than boehmite, can also be obtained by hydrothermal transformation of gibbsite or boehmite, but its formation is slow. Higher temperatures (i.e., >200 °C) and pressures (>15 MPa) are required for the synthesis, and the presence of diaspore seed crystals helps to avoid boehmite formation. Methods to produce weU-crystaUized diaspore have been reported these include hydrothermal synthesis at 300 °C and 3.45 x 10 Pa (5000 psi) over a 72-h period (67) or high-pressure calcination of boehmite (68). 

Under equiUbrium vapor pressure of water, the crystalline tfihydroxides, Al(OH)2 convert to oxide—hydroxides at above 100°C (9,10). Below 280°—300°C, boehmite is the prevailing phase, unless diaspore seed is present. Although spontaneous nucleation of diaspore requires temperatures in excess of 300 °C and 20 MPa (200 bar) pressure, growth on seed crystals occurs at temperatures as low as 180 °C. For this reason it has been suggested that boehmite is the metastable phase although its formation is kinetically favored at lower temperatures and pressures. The ultimate conversion of the hydroxides to comndum [1302-74-5] AI2O2, the final oxide form, occurs above 360°C and 20 MPa. 

Hydrothermal synthesis of a-alumina has been well studied. Since the hydro-thermal reaction of aluminum compound yields boehmite at relatively low temperatures (approximately 200°C), transformation of boehmite was examined and it was reported that more than 10 hours is required for complete conversion into a-alumina, even with a reaction at 445°C in a 0.1 N NaOH solution and in the presence of seed crystals. On the other hand, under glycothermal conditions, a-alumina is formed at 285°C for 4 h. The equilibrium point between diaspore (another polymorph of AlOOH) and a-alumina under the saturated vapor pressure of water was determined to be 360°C. However, near the equilibrium point, the transformation rate is very sluggish, and only a small conversion of diaspore is observed. Therefore complete conversion of diaspore into a-alumina requires a much higher temperature. Since boehmite is slightly less stable than diaspore, the hypothetical equilibrium point between boehmite and a-alumina would be lower than that for diaspore-alumina. However, a-alumina would not be formed by a hydrothermal reaction at such a low temperature as has been achieved in the glycothermal reaction. 

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