Synthesis and Low-Temperature Thermodynamic Functions of Platinum Ditelluride.

In this paper, we report the synthesis of crystalline platinum ditelluride, PtTe2, a synthetic analog of the mineral moncheite, and its thermodynamic properties. Using the isobaric heat capacity of PtTe2 determined in the range 2–305 K by the relaxation and adiabatic calorimetry methods, we have evaluated its standard thermodynamic functions: entropy, enthalpy increment, and reduced Gibbs energy. The following parameters have been obtained for PtTe2 at 298.15 K: = 75.11 ± 0.15 J/(K mol), S° = 121.5 ± 0.2 J/(K mol), Н°(298.15 K) − Н°(0) = 16.69 ± 0.03 kJ/mol, and Ф° = 65.55 ± 0.13 J/(K mol). Using data in the literature and handbooks, we have estimated the standard Gibbs energy of formation of PtTe2: ΔfG°(PtTe2, cr, 298.15) = –75.4 ± 0.8 kJ/mol. Fractal analysis of the heat capacity data indicates that PtTe2 has a layered structure and that its Debye temperature is 250 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]