The electron balance in slag-metal transfer

The transfer of an element from the metal to the slag phase is one in which the species goes from the charge-neutralized metallic phase to an essentially ionic medium in the slag. It follows that there must be some electron redistribution accompanying the transfer in order that electro-neutrality is maintained. A metallic atom which is transfened must be accompanied by an oxygen atom which will absorb the elecuons released in the formation of tire metal ion, thus 

For any chemical species there are probably many ways in which the U ansfer across the metal-slag interface can be effected under the constraint of the 

The resolution of this apparent contradiction to the thermodynamic expectations for this transfer is that the ionic membrane will always contain a small electron/positive hole component in the otherwise predominantly ionic conductivity. Thus in an experiment of very long duration, depending on the ionic transport number of the membrane, the eventual transfer would be of both oxygen and sulphur to the manganese side of the membrane. The transfer can be shown schematically as 

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