Mass spectrometric study of the evaporation of MgAl2O4 spinel

The evaporation of MgAl2O4 spinel is studied via high-temperature Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry in the temperature range of 1850-2250 K. In the gas phase, molecular components typical of the simple oxides in the spinel and traces of gaseous complex oxide MgAlO are identified above the samples. The resulting values of the partial vapor pressures of the molecular components contained in the gas phase over the spinel are compared with those corresponding to simple oxides for the first time.