The solid-solid interactions between MgO and Fe2O3 in the presence and absence of small amounts of Al2O3 and ZnO (2 and 6 mol%) have been investigated using DTA and XRD techniques. Equimolar proportions of magnesium basic carbonate and alpha-Fe2O3 were employed and aluminium and zinc were added as aluminium and zinc nitrates. Pure and doped mixed solids were subjected to heat treatment at 500-1100 degreesC.The results obtained revealed that the addition of small amounts of dopant nitrates to the reacting mixed solids much enhanced the thermal decomposition of magnesium carbonate to an extent proportional to their amounts added. The decomposition temperature of magnesium carbonate decreased from 520.6 to 382.8 and 375.7 degreesC in the presence of 12 mol% aluminium nitrate and 6 mol% zinc nitrate, respectively. MgO underwent solid-solid interaction with Fe2O3 at temperatures starting from 700degreesC producing MgFe2O4. The degree of propagation of this reaction increases progressively by increasing the precalcination temperature and the amounts of dopant added. The heating of pure and dopedmixed solids at 1100degreesC for 6 h was not sufficient to effect the complete conversion of the reacting solids into MgFe2O4. However, the amounts of unreacted oxides much decreased as a function of the amount of ZnO or Al2O3 added. The stimulation effect of ZnO, and Al2O3 towards the thermal decomposition of magnesium carbonate and the ferrite formation was attributed to an effective increase in the mobility of the various reacting cations. The activation energy of formation (DeltaE(a)) of magnesium ferrite was determined for pure and different doped solids and the values obtained were 114, 78, 62, 91 and 76 kJ mol(-1) for pure mixed solids and those doped with 2 and 6 mol% ZnO and 2 and 6 mol% Al2O3, respectively. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.