Synthesis of Gadolinium(III) Bromide and Modeling by the Experimental Design Method

In the present work, we have synthesizedgadolinium(III) bromide, GdBr3 from the gadolinium oxide, Gd2O3 by sintering brominating with ammonium bromide, NH4Br. The influence of three main synthesis parameters (contact time, stoichiometry, and temperature) on the reaction yield was studied and optimized. This study showed that the optimum conditions for the synthesis of GdBr3 are the following: contact time t = 90 min, stoichiometry in moles (Gd2O3:NH4Br = 1:18) and temperature T = 350 °C.  The reaction yield for these parameters was equal to 97.27%. The modeling of the results of our experiments using a 23 full factorial design with six replicates at the center point gives us a first-degree model where it is clear that the reaction yield is a function of these three parameters.