Activity coefficients experimental

From a purely thermodynamic standpoint there is nothing to prevent us examining all the properties characteristic of the deviation of a solution from ideality in terms of the activity coefficients. Experimentally, however, the derivatives above those of the second order become more and more difficult to measure precisely. In fact, in the discussion of this chapter we shall only consider and ... 

Based on agreement between calculated and experimental values of mean ionic activity coefficients, we can infer that the Debye-Hiickel relationship and the data in Table 10-2 give satisfactory activity coefficients for ionic strengths up to about 0.1 M. Beyond this value, the equation fails, and we must determine mean activity coefficients experimentally. 

The various methods to obtain the osmotic and activity coefficients experimentally (the latter also from galvanic cells) are described in the classical books by Harned and Owen (1958) and by Robinson and Stokes (1965). 

If we vary the composition of a liquid mixture over all possible composition values at constant temperature, the equilibrium pressure does not remain constant. Therefore, if integrated forms of the Gibbs-Duhem equation [Equation (16)] are used to correlate isothermal activity coefficient data, it is necessary that all activity coefficients be evaluated at the same pressure. Unfortunately, however, experimentally obtained isothermal activity coefficients are not all at the same pressure and therefore they must be corrected from the experimental total pressure P to the same (arbitrary) reference pressure designated P. This may be done by the rigorous thermodynamic relation at constant temperature and composition ... 

It is important to be consistent in the use of fugacity coefficients. When reducing experimental data to obtain activity coefficients, a particular method for calculating fugacity coefficients must be adopted. That same method must be employed when activity-coefficient correlations are used to generate vapor-liquid equilibria. 

When no experimental data at all are available, activity coefficients can sometimes be estimated using the UNIFAC method (Fredenslund et al., 1977a, b). However, for many real engineering problems it is often necessary to obtain new experimental data. 

In some cases, the temperature of the system may be larger than the critical temperature of one (or more) of the components, i.e., system temperature T may exceed T. . In that event, component i is a supercritical component, one that cannot exist as a pure liquid at temperature T. For this component, it is still possible to use symmetric normalization of the activity coefficient (y - 1 as x - 1) provided that some method of extrapolation is used to evaluate the standard-state fugacity which, in this case, is the fugacity of pure liquid i at system temperature T. For highly supercritical components (T Tj,.), such extrapolation is extremely arbitrary as a result, we have no assurance that when experimental data are reduced, the activity coefficient tends to obey the necessary boundary condition 1... 

Table 3 shows results obtained from a five-component, isothermal flash calculation. In this system there are two condensable components (acetone and benzene) and three noncondensable components (hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane). Henry s constants for each of the noncondensables were obtained from Equations (18-22) the simplifying assumption for dilute solutions [Equation (17)] was also used for each of the noncondensables. Activity coefficients for both condensable components were calculated with the UNIQUAC equation. For that calculation, all liquid-phase composition variables are on a solute-free basis the only required binary parameters are those for the acetone-benzene system. While no experimental data are available for comparison, the calculated results are probably reliable because all simplifying assumptions are reasonable the... 

Liquid-liquid equilibria are much more sensitive than vapor-liquid equilibria to small changes in the effect of composition on activity coefficients. Therefore, calculations for liquid-liquid equilibria should be based, whenever possible, at least in part, on experimental liquid-liquid data. 

In typical situations, we do not have the necessary experimental data to find constants b... To obtain these constants, we need experimental vapor-liquid equilibria (i.e. activity coefficients) as a function of temperature. 

The Debye-Htickel limiting law predicts a square-root dependence on the ionic strength/= MTLcz of the logarithm of the mean activity coefficient (log y ), tire heat of dilution (E /VI) and the excess volume it is considered to be an exact expression for the behaviour of an electrolyte at infinite dilution. Some experimental results for the activity coefficients and heats of dilution are shown in figure A2.3.11 for aqueous solutions of NaCl and ZnSO at 25°C the results are typical of the observations for 1-1 (e.g.NaCl) and 2-2 (e.g. ZnSO ) aqueous electrolyte solutions at this temperature. 

Figure A2.4.5. Theoretical variation of the activity coefficient with Tfroin equation (A2.4.61) and experimental results for 1-1 electrolytes at 25°C. From [7],...

Figure A2.4.6. Mean activity coefFicient for NaCl solution at 25 °C as a function of the concentration full curve from ((A2A61 ) dashed curve from ((A2A63 ) dot-dashed curve from (A2.4.64). The crosses denote experimental data. From [2],...

For gases, pure solids, pure liquids, and nonionic solutes, activity coefficients are approximately unity under most reasonable experimental conditions. For reactions involving only these species, differences between activity and concentration are negligible. Activity coefficients for ionic solutes, however, depend on the ionic composition of the solution. It is possible, using the extended Debye-Htickel theory, to calculate activity coefficients using equation 6.50... 

A quantitative solution to an equilibrium problem may give an answer that does not agree with the value measured experimentally. This result occurs when the equilibrium constant based on concentrations is matrix-dependent. The true, thermodynamic equilibrium constant is based on the activities, a, of the reactants and products. A species activity is related to its molar concentration by an activity coefficient, where a = Yi[ ] Activity coefficients often can be calculated, making possible a more rigorous treatment of equilibria. 

Accuracy and Interpretation of Measured pH Values. The acidity function which is the experimental basis for the assignment of pH, is reproducible within about 0.003 pH unit from 10 to 40°C. If the ionic strength is known, the assignment of numerical values to the activity coefficient of chloride ion does not add to the uncertainty. However, errors in the standard potential of the cell, in the composition of the buffer materials, and ia the preparatioa of the solutioas may raise the uacertaiaty to 0.005 pH unit. 

Whereas the fundamental residual property relation derives its usefulness from its direct relation to experimental PVT data and equations of state, the excess property formulation is useful because and are all experimentally accessible. Activity coefficients are found from vapor—Hquid... 

Experimentally deterrnined equiUbrium constants are usually calculated from concentrations rather than from the activities of the species involved. Thermodynamic constants, based on ion activities, require activity coefficients. Because of the inadequacy of present theory for either calculating or determining activity coefficients for the compHcated ionic stmctures involved, the relatively few known thermodynamic constants have usually been obtained by extrapolation of results to infinite dilution. The constants based on concentration have usually been deterrnined in dilute solution in the presence of excess inert ions to maintain constant ionic strength. Thus concentration constants are accurate only under conditions reasonably close to those used for their deterrnination. Beyond these conditions, concentration constants may be useful in estimating probable effects and relative behaviors, and chelation process designers need to make allowances for these differences in conditions. 

An overview of some basic mathematical techniques for data correlation is to be found herein together with background on several types of physical property correlating techniques and a road map for the use of selected methods. Methods are presented for the correlation of observed experimental data to physical properties such as critical properties, normal boiling point, molar volume, vapor pressure, heats of vaporization and fusion, heat capacity, surface tension, viscosity, thermal conductivity, acentric factor, flammability limits, enthalpy of formation, Gibbs energy, entropy, activity coefficients, Henry s constant, octanol—water partition coefficients, diffusion coefficients, virial coefficients, chemical reactivity, and toxicological parameters. 

The use of UNIFAC for estimating activity coefficients in binary and multicomponent organic and organic—water systems is recommended for those systems composed of nonelectrolyte, nonpolymer substances for which only stmctural information is known. UNIFAC is not recommended for systems for which some reUable experimental data are available. The method, including revisions through 1987 (39), is available in commercial software packages such as AspenPlus (174). 

Hctivity Coefficients. Most activity coefficient property estimation methods are generally appHcable only to pure substances. Methods for properties of multicomponent systems are more complex and parameter fits usually rely on less experimental data. The primary group contribution methods of activity coefficient estimation are ASOG and UNIEAC. Of the two, UNIEAC has been fit to more combinations of groups and therefore can be appHed to a wider variety of compounds. Both methods are restricted to organic compounds and water. 

A sampling of appHcations of Kamlet-Taft LSERs include the following. (/) The Solvatochromic Parameters for Activity Coefficient Estimation (SPACE) method for infinite dilution activity coefficients where improved predictions over UNIEAC for a database of 1879 critically evaluated experimental data points has been claimed (263). (2) Observation of inverse linear relationship between log 1-octanol—water partition coefficient and Hquid... 

There are many types of phase diagrams in addition to the two cases presented here these are summarized in detail by Zief and Wilcox (op. cit., p. 21). Solid-liquid phase equilibria must be determined experimentally for most binaiy and multicomponent systems. Predictive methods are based mostly on ideal phase behavior and have limited accuracy near eutectics. A predic tive technique based on extracting liquid-phase activity coefficients from vapor-liquid equilib-... 

In liquid metal solutions Z is normally of the order of 10, and so this equation gives values of Ks(a+B) which are close to that predicted by the random solution equation. But if it is assumed that the solute atom, for example oxygen, has a significantly lower co-ordination number of metallic atoms than is found in the bulk of die alloy, dieii Z in the ratio of the activity coefficients of die solutes in the quasi-chemical equation above must be correspondingly decreased to the appropriate value. For example, Jacobs and Alcock (1972) showed that much of the experimental data for oxygen solutions in biiiaty liquid metal alloys could be accounted for by the assumption that die oxygen atom is four co-ordinated in diese solutions. 

Throughout this section the hydronium ion and hydroxide ion concentrations appear in rate equations. For convenience these are written [H ] and [OH ]. Usually, of course, these quantities have been estimated from a measured pH, so they are conventional activities rather than concentrations. However, our present concern is with the formal analysis of rate equations, and we can conveniently assume that activity coefficients are unity or are at least constant. The basic experimental information is k, the pseudo-first-order rate constant, as a function of pH. Within a senes of such measurements the ionic strength should be held constant. If the pH is maintained constant with a buffer, k should be measured at more than one buffer concentration (but at constant pH) to see if the buffer affects the rate. If such a dependence is observed, the rate constant should be measured at several buffer concentrations and extrapolated to zero buffer to give the correct k for that pH. 

There is a third experimental design often used for studies in electrolyte solutions, particularly aqueous solutions. In this design the reaction rate is studied as a function of ionic strength, and a rate variation is called a salt effect. In Chapter 5 we derived this relationship between the observed rate constant k and the activity coefficients of reactants l YA, yB) and transition state (y ) ... 

Some organic compounds can be in solution with water and the mixture may still be a flammable mixture. The vapors above these mixtures such as ethanol, methanol, or acetone can form flammable mixtures with air. Bodurtha [39] and Albaugh and Pratt [47] discuss the use of Raoult s law (activity coefficients) in evaluating the effects. Figures 7-52A and B illustrate the vapor-liquid data for ethyl alcohol and the flash point of various concentrations, the shaded area of flammability limits, and the UEL. Note that some of the plots are calculated and bear experimental data verification. 

Activity Coefficients. Turning now to the experimental data on activity coefficients, Fig. 70 shows the results for lithium bromide in aqueous solution at 25°C, plotted against the square root of the concentration. 

Values of the distance of closest approach derived from experimental values of the activity coefficients are given in column 2 of Table 40. It will be seen that for the lithium and sodium salts the value is greater than the crystal-lattice spacing (given in column 4) by rather more than 1 angstrom, as is expected. For the salts of cesium, rubidium, and potassium, on the other hand, the distance of closest approach... 

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