A Study of the Thermodynamic and Reducing Properties of Lithium in Cadmium at 773 K

Abstract

The activity of lithium in cadmium was measured in a two‐phase system of molten chloride salts and cadmium metal at 773 K using a calibrated silver/silver chloride reference electrode. The activity coefficients of lithium in dilute cadmium solutions were found to depend on lithium concentration, varying from to over a concentration range of 0.06–7.0 atom percent (a/o). The distribution coefficients of cerium, neodymium, praseodymium, and yttrium in a similar salt‐cadmium system were obtained as a function of lithium activity. Because the distribution coefficients were proportional to the third power of the lithium activity, the oxidation state of these rare earths in the chloride salt phase was shown to be three. The presence of as little as 0.4 a/o rare earths in the metal phase increased the lithium activity.