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The solubility and electrochemistry of alkali metal oxides in the molten eutectic mixture of lithium carbonate-sodium carbonate-potassium carbonate

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Abstract

Metal oxides as solutes in molten electrolytes are important in metal winning as well as intermediates or reaction products in a number of new energy related technologies. The systematic behaviour of oxide ions in carbonate melts has received little attention. The results of electroanalytical measurements have shown that the solubilities of alkali metal oxides in the ternary eutectic mixture Li2CO3-Na2CO3-K2CO3 (43.5∶31.5∶25 mol %) in the temperature range 400–700°C are less than 0.5 mol %. The solubilitiesX (mole fraction) are given by:

$$X_{oxide} = 0.0538\exp \left[ { - \frac{{5775}}{{RT}}} \right]$$

The oxidation reaction of oxide ions on the gold electrode produces peroxide ions. The identification of this reaction stoichiometry has enabled reliable evaluation of the diffusion coefficients of oxide ions as a function of temperature from the chronopotentiometric and voltammetric measurements. The diffusion coefficients in cm2 s-1 (×106) are expressed by:

$$D_{oxide} = 0.0344\exp \left[ { - \frac{{15377}}{{RT}}} \right]$$

whereR is expressed in cal (mol K)-1 andT in degrees Kelvin.

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  1. S. H. White

    Present address: , 220 Harvard Lane, 02093, Wrentham, Massachusetts, USA

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  1. EIC Laboratories Inc., 111 Downey Street, 02062, Norwood, MA, USA

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White, S.H., Twardoch, U.M. The solubility and electrochemistry of alkali metal oxides in the molten eutectic mixture of lithium carbonate-sodium carbonate-potassium carbonate. J Appl Electrochem 19, 901–910 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01007939

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01007939

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