Indirect radiotracer study of the adsorption of chromate ions on γ-Al₂O₃ and direct study of the adsorption of sulfate ions on Cr₂O₃ using ³⁵S-labelled H₂SO₄

Abstract

The specific adsorption of sulfate ions on Cr₂O₃ was studied by a radiotracer technique using ³⁵S-labelled sulfuric acid in low concentrations (c<10^–3 mol dm^–3) in the presence of a large excess of perchlorate supporting electrolyte. The pH and concentration dependence were determined. It was found that the extent of adsorption is determined by the protonation of the surface sites, similar to other oxides studied previously. A comparison of Cr₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ in this respect shows that the protonation of the former takes place at significantly lower pH values than that of the latter. The indirect radiotracer study of the adsorption of chromate on Al₂O₃ was carried out using labelled sulfate ions as indicator species. The results obtained show that the adsorption strength of chromate species is very low in comparison to sulfate ions and a regular Langmuir-like adsorption behaviour can be observed. It is believed that the observations presented may contribute to a better understanding of the behaviour of surface layers with a mixed oxide content.