Spinodal and thermodynamic limit of superheat of gold

Abstract

A four-parameter generalized Berthelot equation of state has been employed to determine the spinodal and the thermodynamic limit of superheat of liquid gold. It is established that gold obeys the two-parameter law of corresponding states. It is also established that the new parameters introduced in the attractive term of the equation of state are thermodynamic similarity parameters. It is shown that liquid gold can be superheated to a temperature 6719K. That is, liquid gold, under rapid heating, can be superheated to temperature 3476K above the boiling temperature without undergoing liquid-vapour phase transition. Above this temperature, liquid gold will undergo explosive boiling owing to homogeneous nucleation.