Mercury-Catalyzed Dissolution of Aluminum in Nitric Acid

The role of mercury in promoting the dissolution of aluminum in nitric acid was investigated experimentally. The rates at which a broad range of Al sample sizes and shapes dissolved in HNO3 were determined for various combinations of HNO3 and Hg(NO3)2 molarities. The effects of temperature and agita...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial & engineering chemistry research 2001-04, Vol.40 (8), p.1872-1878
Main Authors: Rice, Richard W, Sarode, Dhananjay V
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Catalysis
Catalytic reactions
Chemical and electrochemical properties
Chemistry
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Fuel elements, preparation, reloading, and reprocessing
Fuels
General and physical chemistry
Homogeneous catalysis
Metals. Metallurgy
Nuclear fuels
Preparation and processing of nuclear fuels
Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry
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Summary:The role of mercury in promoting the dissolution of aluminum in nitric acid was investigated experimentally. The rates at which a broad range of Al sample sizes and shapes dissolved in HNO3 were determined for various combinations of HNO3 and Hg(NO3)2 molarities. The effects of temperature and agitation were also studied, as was the product gas composition. The kinetics of dissolution appeared to shift from first- to nearly zero-order with respect to the concentration of HNO3 as the concentration of Hg was lowered, reflecting a change in rate-controlling step. As the surface-to-volume ratio of the samples was increased, the rate of dissolution per area decreased, and the rate in terms of mass per unit time changed only modestly. Mercury appears to promote Al dissolution via a “bulk” effect involving amalgam formation rather than by a surface catalytic effect.
ISSN:0888-5885
1520-5045
DOI:10.1021/ie000763v