Lewis-Acid/Base Effects on Gallium Volatility in Molten Chlorides

摘要

It has been proposed that GaCl(sub 3) can be removed by direct volatilization from a Pu-Ga alloy that is dissolved in a molten chloride salt. Although pure GaCl(sub 3) is quite volatile (boiling point, 201 C), the behavior of GaCl(sub 3) dissolved in chloride salts is different due to solution effects and is critically dependent on the composition of the solvent salt (i.e., its Lewis-acid/base character). In this report, the behavior of gallium in prototypical Lewis-acid and Lewis-base salts is compared. It was found that gallium volatility is suppressed in basic melts and enhanced in acidic melts. The implications of these results on the potential for simple gallium removal in molten salt systems are significant.