Solid solutions activity coefficients

Although nearly identical solid-aqueous solution compositions are observed in recrystallization from two directions under conditions of total constant composition, this alone is insufficient proof of the establishment of equilibrium. In order to test for equilibrium, the solid solution activity coefficients must be determined and used to compare observed solid and aqueous solution compositions with the appropriate values expected at equilibrium. 

Solid-solution activity-coefficients can be fitted using the following equations... 

Solid Solution Behavior. Attempts to calculate ternary phase diagrams with the use of the available binary simple solution parameters have met with fair success. It is necessary in performing such calculations to assign a value to the solid solution activity coefficient in Equation 6. This has usually been... 

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... 

This permits provisional calculation of the compositional dependence of the equilibrium constant and determination of provisional values of the solid phase activity coefficients (discussed below). The equilibrium constant and activity coefficients are termed provisional because it is not possible to determine if stoichiometric saturation has been established without independent knowledge of the compositional dependence of the equilibrium constant, such as would be provided from independent thermodynamic measurements. Using the provisional activity coefficient data we may compare the observed solid solution-aqueous solution compositions with those calculated at equilibrium. Agreement between the calculated and observed values confirms, within the experimental data uncertainties, the establishment of equilibrium. The true solid solution thermodynamic properties are then defined to be equal to the provisional values. 

Calcite mole fraction X, solid state activity coefficients X, and Yp, the solute mole fractions of calcium at equilibrium in seawater. 

Concentration and activity of a solute are only the same for very dilute solutions, i.e. yi approaches unity as the concentration of all solutes approaches zero. For non-dilute solutions, activity coefficients must be used in chemical expressions involving solute concentrations. Although freshwaters are sufficiently dilute to be potable (containing less than about 1000 mg total dissolved solids (TDS)), it cannot be assumed that activity coefficients are close to unity. 

Because the activities of species in the exchanger phase are not well defined in equation 2, a simplified model—that of an ideal mixture—is usually employed to calculate these activities according to the approach introduced bv Vanselow (20). Because of the approximate nature of this assumption and the fact that the mechanisms involved in ion exchange are influenced by factors (such as specific sorption) not represented by an ideal mixture, ion-exchange constants are strongly dependent on solution- and solid-phase characteristics. Thus, they are actually conditional equilibrium constants, more commonly referred to as selectivity coefficients. Both mole and equivalent fractions of cations have been used to represent the activities of species in the exchanger phase. Townsend (21) demonstrated that both the mole and equivalent fraction conventions are thermodynamically valid and that their use leads to solid-phase activity coefficients that differ but are entirely symmetrical and complementary. 

Various chemical surface complexation models have been developed to describe potentiometric titration and metal adsorption data at the oxide—mineral solution interface. Surface complexation models provide molecular descriptions of metal adsorption using an equilibrium approach that defines surface species, chemical reactions, mass balances, and charge balances. Thermodynamic properties such as solid-phase activity coefficients and equilibrium constants are calculated mathematically. The major advancement of the chemical surface complexation models is consideration of charge on both the adsorbate metal ion and the adsorbent surface. In addition, these models can provide insight into the stoichiometry and reactivity of adsorbed species. Application of these models to reference oxide minerals has been extensive, but their use in describing ion adsorption by clay minerals, organic materials, and soils has been more limited. 

There are two main applications for SSAS theory in the chemical modeling of aqueous systems 1) the prediction of solid-solution solubilities, 2) the prediction of the distribution of trace components between solid and aqueous phases. Currently, a big problem with both types of predictions is the lack of low-temperature data on solid-solution excess-free-energy functions, and therefore on solid-phase activity coefficients. The two-parameter Guggenheim expansion series g (the "subregular" model) has been successfully used to fit laboratory solubility... 

Another method using liquid-solid equilibria determines solute activity coefficients from temperature-dependent solubility data. The pure solute Y, is in equilibrium with the saturated solution. With reference to the state of the infinitely dilute solution [Eqs. (91a)-(91c)], the equilibrium condition is given by the relation... 

In agreement with (98), the left-hand side is just the standard free energy of solution AF°. Here y, as defined by (106), is the usual activity coefficient on the molality scale. In particular, when the solid is in contact with its saturated solution, there is no change in the free energy when additional ions are taken into solution. In this case, if in (108) we write m, t and y,at, the values of m and y in the saturated solution, we may set AF equal to zero. This will be discussed in Sec. 100. 

For a solution of a non-volatile substance (e.g. a solid) in a liquid the vapour pressure of the solute can be neglected. The reference state for such a substance is usually its very dilute solution—in the limiting case an infinitely dilute solution—which has identical properties with an ideal solution and is thus useful, especially for introducing activity coefficients (see Sections 1.1.4 and 1.3). The standard chemical potential of such a solute is defined as... 

Here /g,hq and y ,ss are the activity coefficients of component B in the liquid and solid solutions at infinite dilution with pure solid and liquid taken as reference states. A fus A" is the standard molar entropy of fusion of component A at its fusion temperature Tfus A and AfusGg is the standard molar Gibbs energy of fusion of component B with the same crystal structure as component A at the melting temperature of component A. 

In principle, Gibbs free energies of transfer for trihalides can be obtained from solubilities in water and in nonaqueous or mixed aqueous solutions. However, there are two major obstacles here. The first is the prevalence of hydrates and solvates. This may complicate the calculation of AGtr(LnX3) values, for application of the standard formula connecting AGt, with solubilities requires that the composition of the solid phase be the same in equilibrium with the two solvent media in question. The other major hurdle is that solubilities of the trichlorides, tribromides, and triiodides in water are so high that knowledge of activity coefficients, which indeed are known to be far from unity 4b), is essential (201). These can, indeed, be measured, but such measurements require much time, care, and patience. 

Although the theory of solutions has been widely used in formulating problems of defects in solids the problems encountered differ in certain respects. The most obvious point is that defects are restricted to discrete lattice sites, whereas the ions in a solution can occupy any position in the fluid. Sometimes no allowance is made for this fact. For example, it has not been demonstrated that at very low concentrations, in the absence of ion-pair effects, the activity coefficients are identical with those of the Debye-Hiickel theory. It can be plausibly argued51 that at sufficiently low concentrations the effect of discreteness is likely to be negligible, but clearly in developing a theory for any but the lowest concentrations the effect should be investigated. A second point... 

Equation 1 implies that solubility is independent of solvent type, and is only a function of the equilibrium temperature and characteristic properties of the solid phase. In real systems the effect of non-ideality in the liquid phase can significantly impact the solubility. This effect can be correlated using an activity coefficient (y) to account for the non-ideal liquid phase interactions between the dissolved solute and solvent molecules. Eq. 1. then becomes [7,8] ... 

The non-random two-liquid segment activity coefficient model is a recent development of Chen and Song at Aspen Technology, Inc., [1], It is derived from the polymer NRTL model of Chen [26], which in turn is developed from the original NRTL model of Renon and Prausznitz [27]. The NRTL-SAC model is proposed in support of pharmaceutical and fine chemicals process and product design, for the qualitative tasks of solvent selection and the first approximation of phase equilibrium behavior in vapour liquid and liquid systems, where dissolved or solid phase pharmaceutical solutes are present. The application of NRTL-SAC is demonstrated here with a case study on the active pharmaceutical intermediate Cimetidine, and the design of a suitable crystallization process. 

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