The scientists studied how alkaline earth metal carbonates break down when heated. They looked at magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, strontium carbonate, and barium carbonate. By using a special method, they found out that the decomposition reactions mostly follow first order kinetics. The energy needed for the breakdown increases as the carbonate molecules get heavier. The energy needed for the breakdown is usually higher than the heat released, except for strontium carbonate.