The kinetics of oxygen absorption in molten salts containing cuprous chloride

✍ Scribed by D.M. Ruthven; C.N. Kenney

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1967
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 784 KB
• Volume: 22
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2509(67)80194-5

✦ Synopsis

Kinetic data are presented for the oxidation of melts containing cuprous chloride by gaseous oxygen at temperatures in the range 350-500°C. The molten systems studied include the bii system CuCI-CIrCl~, the ternary system KCI-CuCl-CuCl~, and the quaternary system KCl-LaC&CuCI-CuCl2. The data are correlated in terms of a rate equation of the form:

R=k&h+]2P0

I where A is the surface area of the melt.

The rate constant k3 increases with the concentration of potassium and lanthanum chlorides, ranging from O-65 x 10-7 g-mole/cm2 sec. atm for the system CuC12-CuCI to approximately 600 x 10-7 g-mole/cm2 sec. atm for melts containing equimolar amounts of potassium and copper chlorides together with 10 per cent mole lanthanum chloride. The activation energies are all low varying from about 12.7 kcal/mole oxygen for the bii system CuCl&uCl to less than 1.0 kcal for melts containing equimolar amounts of potassium and copper chlorides. A reaction mechanism involving the direct reaction of gaseous oxygen with cuprous species in the melt surface is proposed and it is suggested that the reaction may proceed through the transient formation of peroxide.