The phase diagram of the catalytically important
K2S2O7−KHSO4 solvent
system has been investigated by
means of electrochemical, thermal, and spectroscopic methods. The
phase diagram exhibits a eutectic at
ΧKHSO
4
= 0.94(1) with a
temperature of fusion of 205 °C. No compound is formed in the
system, but the
strong α → β solid−solid transition of
K2S2O7, found at 318 °C with
ΔH
tr = 21.8 kJ/mol, gives rise to
a
marked change in the slope of the liquidus curve at this temperature.
The experimental phase diagram is in
very good accordance with a calculated diagram based on the assumption
of an ideal liquid mixture. 39K,
1H,
17O, and 33S NMR measurements on the molten
K2S2O7−KHSO4 mixtures
up to 540 °C show that a fast
ionic exchange takes place in the melt at all compositions. The
conductivities of the solid and molten
K2S2O7−KHSO4 systems were measured at 13 different compositions in
the whole composition range,
ΧKHSO
4
= 0−1.
For each composition in the temperature range examined , the
conductivity of the molten mixtures has been
expressed by equations of the form κ = A(Χ) +
B(Χ)(T − 600) +
C(Χ)(T − 600)2. The
measurements
indicate an enhanced molar conductivity of the binary system, probably
due to delocalization of the conducting
ions compared to the pure molten components.