Homogeneous Nucleation Temperatures in Aqueous Mixed Salt Solutions

Abstract

This is the first report on the measurement of homogeneous nucleation temperature, TH, in the presence of aqueous mixed salt systems of varying compositions and ionic strengths. The TH,m (TH value in aqueous mixed salt system) data for these systems have been analyzed in terms of a simple empirical equation. The TH,m values in simple aqueous mixed salts like NaCl-KCl can be approximated by linear summation of the products of ionic strength fraction and the TH values of pure salt solutions at the same ionic strength as that of the mixture. The empirical parameter, q0, indicating ionic interaction is related to the viscosity B-coefficients. The TH,m data, though correlated on the basis of the B-coefficients also depends upon the mixing of two ions of like charges. Further, a linear correlation exists between the q0 parameter and self-diffusion coefficient, D0, of the ionic solute. The q0 parameter is also well correlated with the rotational correlation time, tauch/tauc0 of the ionic species involved in the mixtures. It is possible to compute TH,m for the salt mixtures with no common ions from the knowledge of the TH,m values of the salt mixtures with common ions.