The adsorption of tri-N-butylphosphate at the benzene–water interface

Abstract

Adsorption of tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) at the benzene–water interface was studied as a function of the TBP mole fraction in benzene up to 0.018 and at temperatures from 9 to 29 °C. The extent of adsorption was calculated from interfacial tension data obtained by the drop-volume technique. Standard free energies of adsorption from benzene ranged from −20.9 kJ/mol at 9 °C to −22.5 kJ/mol at 29 °C, giving a standard enthalpy of adsorption of +2.5 kJ/mol. Thus the strong adsorption occurs because of entropy changes. Distribution coefficients for the partition of TBP between benzene and water were measured by gas chromatography, and standard free energies of adsorption from water were derived. They ranged from −44.8 kJ/mol at 9 °C to −51.1 kJ/mol at 29 °C, with standard enthalpies of adsorption ranging from 74 to 15 kJ/mol over the same temperature range.Results at higher mole fractions were fitted to various equations of state, after using vapor pressure osmometry (at 37 °C) to determine that activity corrections were small. The Schofield–Rideal equation described the results adequately, with A0 close to 1.0 nm2 and/close to 1.0 at lower temperatures. These values imply that lateral repulsion between TBP molecules in the adsorbed layer is minimal.