Structure and thermodynamic properties of molten alkali chlorides

Abstract

Self-consistent calculations of partial pair distribution functions and thermodynamic properties are presented for molten alkali chlorides in a nonpolarizable ion model. The theory starts from the hypernetted chain approximation and analyzes the role of bridge diagrams both for a two-component ionic plasma on a neutralizing background and for a binary ionic liquid of cations and anions. A simple account of excluded-volume effects suffices for a good description of the pair distribution functions in the two-component plasma, in analogy with earlier work on one-component fluids. The interplay of Coulomb attractions and repulsions in the molten salt requires, on the other hand, the inclusion of (i) excluded–volume effects for the various ion pairs as in a mixture of hard spheres with nonadditive radii and (ii) medium-range Coulomb effects reflected mainly in the like-ion correlations. All these effects are included approximately in an empirical evaluation of the bridge functions, with numerical results which compare very well with computer simulation data. A detailed discussion of the results against experimental structural data is then given in the case of molten sodium chloride.