Oxidation of Transition Metals in Molten Lithium Chloride–Potassium Chloride Eutectic by Mercuric Chloride

Abstract

MOST investigations of ionic melts have been concerned with the electrochemical¹ or spectroscopic properties of the solution²; relatively little work has been carried out on specific chemical reactions in these media^3,4. These systems provide obvious advantages over the more conventional liquid media normally used in the preparation of complexes. However, difficulties can occur in isolation of the product from the melts, but these reactions can be particularly useful for the preparation of complexes to be studied in situ. As part of the general study of chemical reactions in melts, this communication reports some oxidation studies which we have carried out in potassium chloride–lithium chloride eutectic (40.5 mole per cent potassium chloride) of transition metals, as this provides a useful means of producing a variety of metal chloro-species, some of which are extremely susceptible to hydrolysis. For these complexes the alternative preparations may lead to potential contamination and subsequent difficulty in studying the properties of these compounds in the melt.