Project Details:

Critical Evaluation of Thermodynamic Data of Sulfate Complexes in Solution

This project aims to compile and critically review the thermodynamic data (stability constants, enthalpies and entropies) available in the scientific literature on metal ion- sulfate complexes in aqueous solution.

Such complexes are important in environmental chemistry, hydrometallurgy and geochemistry. Sulfate is a major ionic constituent of natural waters, including many geological brines, and binds significantly with most metal ions. Sulfate hydrometallurgy is widely used in the extraction and purification of a number of economically-important metals.

This project will provide reliable thermodynamic data for use in chemical speciation modeling in many fields of pure and applied chemistry.

 

 

This project involves the comprehensive compilation, from the literature, of experimental thermodynamic data (stability constants, enthalpies and entropies) pertaining to metal ion-sulfate complexes in aqueous solutions. The compiled data will be critically reviewed and specific recommendations made as to their reliability.

Data compilation will be based on the “Stability Constant Handbooks” (Chem. Soc. & IUPAC), which give a comprehensive coverage of the older literature, and the IUPAC SC-Database for more recent data.  These sources will be cross-checked against other databases (eg, JESS) and supplemented by cross-referencing and literature searching via Chemistry Abstracts.

Critical evaluation will employ the methods established (by SSED and former Commission V.6) in previous IUPAC work of a similar nature.

The project will be incorporated into the activities of the SSED.  Sub-sections of the work will be distributed to recognized experts in the area for comment.

To the best of our knowledge, no previous comprehensive critical evaluation of metal ion –sulfate data has been published. However, an almost completed IUPAC project Chemical speciation of environmentally significant metals with inorganic ligands (project 1999-050-1-500) has included five metal-sulfate systems. These systems will not be re-evaluated unless significant new information is found; instead a summary of the findings of that project will be incorporated into the Technical Report.

The literature in this area is widespread, frequently contradictory and often impenetrable to the non-expert.

 

 

 

• Hefter, Glenn

• Guminski, Cezary
• Meyrick, Danielle