## 3 Result and Discussion  
HIXs which have an identical polymeric skeleton but differ in the inorganic deposit identically distributed in this skeleton provide interesting material for study. Here the thermal decomposition of composites containing fine Cu\({}_{2}\)O and Cu\({}^{0}\) particles in the matrix of respectively a macroreticular anion exchanger and a gel-like anion exchanger (Scheme 1) was compared. Since the Cu\({}^{0}\) particles formed as a result of the reduction of the Cu\({}_{2}\)O particles previously deposited in the anion exchanger, one can assume that the two kinds of particles occupied similar sites in the matrix of the respective host materials. Commercially available strongly basic anion exchangers Amberlite IRA 900 Cl and Amberlite IRA 402 OH, in the form of spherical beads, were used as supports for Cu\({}_{2}\)O and Cu\({}^{0}\). The anion exchangers have a cross-linked polymeric matrix constituting a copolymer of styrene and divinylbenzene (macroreticular or gel-like) and quaternary ammonium functional groups -CH\({}_{2}\)N(CH\({}_{3}\))\({}_{3}\)\({}^{+}\). Their ion-exchange capacity (functional group content) is similar, amounting to about 3.0 meq\(\cdot\)g\({}^{-1}\) (in the dry state). The anion exchangers were subjected to environmentally safe, operationally simple and inexpensive transformations (Scheme 1). As the anion exchangers do not bond (but repel) Cu\({}^{2+}\) cations (Cu\({}_{2}\)O and Cu\({}^{0}\) precursors) from solutions of cupric salts, the key step in the synthesis was to transform their functional groups into the form and then to reduce the tetrachloropcurate ions in such a way that the formed Cu\({}_{2}\)O particles would remain (not pass into the aqueous phase) in the ion exchanger's matrix. This became possible owing to the use of a solution of ascorbic acid (AA) in NaOH excess [34]. In order to reduce Cu\({}_{2}\)O to Cu\({}^{0}\) a solution of AA alone was used [35]. Table 1 shows four materials denoted as M/Cu\({}_{2}\)O, M/Cu, G/Cu\({}_{2}\)O and G/Cu, which were characterized in the previous studies. The difference in copper content between the HIXs containing Cu\({}_{2}\)O and the ones containing Cu\({}^{0}\) was due to the different ionic form of the functional groups (hydroxylic vs. ascorbate, molar mass 17 vs. 175). Since anion exchangers show low thermal stability [38; 39], all the materials investigated in this study were dried in mild conditions (at 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 24 h). The test results, grouped according to the structure of the host materials (M, G) and the thermal decomposition medium (air, N\({}_{2}\)), are presented in successive figures. Each of the figures shows numerical data characterizing the particular transformations, their temperature range and the temperature at which the maximum decomposition rate, mass change, end temperature and residual mass occurred. One of the most interesting aspects of this study was the assessment of the first step (dehydration) in the thermal decomposition of the investigated materials. In each of the four diagrams (Figures 1 and 2, Table 2) the first change in the TG/DTG curves corresponded to the sample mass decrement due to water evaporation. It is apparent that the HIXs with Cu\({}^{0}\) particles contained considerably less hydration bound water than the HIXs with Cu\({}_{2}\)O particles. This content for M/Cu (7.2%) and G/Cu (4.3%) was anomalously low as the pure resins (both anion exchangers) had about 15% hygroscopic water content [30; 31]. Typically, in the parent resins (M, G) the functional ionospheric groups were surrounded by water molecules, which is referred to as solvation. This phenomenon is due to weak electrostatic interactions and results in the formation of a solvation envelope (a few water molecules thick) around polar functional groups [29; 39; 40]. After Cu\({}^{0}\) was deposited in the anion exchanger's matrix the configuration near the active groups changed. The shape of the TG/DTG curves indicated that this resulted in reduced solvation.