Solubilities of Pb⁺², Bi⁺³, Sb⁺³, and Cu⁺¹ sulfides in (NaCl+KCl+Na₂S) melts

Abstract

Solubilities of common metal sulfides have been determined in the (NaCl+KCl) eutectic melt with and without Na₂S. A novel gas-phase equilibrium technique has been used for PbS, Bi₂S₃, and So₂S₃, and an improved liquid phase equilibrium technique for Cu₂S, which eliminates the errors due to physical entrapment of the sulfide phase and segregation on quenching, enabling precise measurements to be made. Solubilities in the (NaCl+KCl) eutectic melt were determined as a function of temperature in the rante 700° to 950°C, and were found to be small. The partial molar heats of mixing of the sulfides in the eutectic melt have been calculated from the solubility measurements, to be 13.3, 31.4, 37.1, and 49.0 kcal for PbSs), Sb₂S₂(l), and Cu₂S(s), respectively. Sodium sulfide addition was observed to enhance these solubilities, the effect being largest for Cu₂S followed by Sb₂S₃, Bi₂S₃, and PbS. This effect is explained qualitatively. It was observed that PbS and Sb₂S₃ obey Henry's law up to saturation in (NaCl+KCl+Na₂S) melts.