Three viscosity correlations were tested for liquids at their boiling points. Compounds studied included normal paraffins, branched-chain hydrocarbons, aromatics, halogenated methanes and ethanes, water, and aliphatic alcohols. The correlations were tested for the most part with viscosity and thermodynamic data found in the literature. Some experimental viscosity measurements were made, however, for normal paraf3ns from pentane to octane at temperatures up to about 300"F., which is higher than has previously been reported.Two correlations are based on Eyring's theory of absolute reaction rates. The third is based on the compressibility factor of the saturated liquid, and this correlation is unique, as all available data for normal paraffins with eight or more carbon atoms are represented by a single curve. The three correlations presented here can be used to extrapolate viscosity data over large temperature ranges up to the critical temperature. Logical predictions of the viscosities of related compounds are possible.The theory of absolute reaction rates (17) was applied to the viscosity of liquids by Eyring and coworkers (16, 18, 22, 27, 39). It was postulated that before a molecule can flow (move) a "hole" must be available for it to move into. Energy is required to make this hole, and the following equation was developed to represent the relationship between the free energy of activation and the viscosity in centipoises:Since a flow process can be considered to be at constant volume, the energy required to make a hole the size of a molecule is the internal energy of vaporization. It was thought (22, 39) that the relationship between the internal energy of vaporization and the free energy of activation might be significant. The ratio of these two values has been designated the energy ratio n: Lylo F. .4lbright is at Purdue Universit W y t Lafayette, Indiana, and John Lohrens at t k University of Kansan, Lawrence, Kanaas.TEYERATLRZ. T Fig. 1. Vis-osity measurements of lightparaffin hydrocarbon liquids at their boiling points.
Page 290This energy ratio was reported (22, 39)to be equal to approximately 2.45 for numerov liquids including water, alcohols, and hydrocarbons. The alcohols and hydrocarbons tested or the temperatures of any of the liquids however were not specified. Since at the critical temperature the internal energy of vaporization is zero and since the free energy of activation is still presumably finite, the energy ratio is also probably zero at this temperature. It appears, therefore, that the energy ratio is a function of temperature. Another equation (22) based on the theory of absolute reaction rates is as follows: temperature over a large pressure range within about 30% accuracy. As far as can be determined, however, the equation was tested for a given compound a t only one temperature. Viscosity data have been extrapolated frequently in the past by means of the following plots: (1) viscosity vs. temperature, (2) logarithm of viscosity vs. the reciprocal of absolute temperature, and (3) logarit...