Magnetic Susceptibilities of Solutions of Potassium in Molten Potassium Chloride

Abstract

Volume magnetic susceptibilities have been measured by the Gouy method for molten potassium chloride and for 7 and 15 mole % solutions of potassium metal in molten potassium chloride, between 800° and 1000°C. All these liquids are diamagnetic, but the potassium solute appreciably reduces the diamagnetism of the solvent. Making some assumptions about the densities (unmeasured) of the solutions and about the additivity of the ionic diamagnetism, it is possible to compute molar paramagnetic susceptibilities for the potassium valence electrons. These values can be very roughly accounted for by the equation for conduction-band electrons, with the effective electron mass approximately equal to the free electron mass. Alternatively, one can account for the data by localized electron models. One such model, based on a number of assumptions, is presented in the discussions. It leads to the conclusion that there exists a slight energy of association, of the order of kT or less, of potassium solute atoms into nearest-neighbor clusters.