Infinite dilution activity coefficients (y") in binary liquid mixtures are data of wide practical and theoretical applicability, but their extensive use has been hindered by the experimental limitations of classical vapor-liquid equilibrium techniques. Two new experimental methods for accurate y" determinations are presented. These techniques, both faster and more accurate than classical methods, are complementary, and their applicability to different types of binary systems is discussed.
SCOPEThe modern design and modeling of fluid-phase separation equipment require an accurate mathematical representation of chemical activities in a multicomponent liquid mixture. Solution models now use binary data only to represent a multicomponent mixture, and have proven central to the rational design of distillation, absorption, extraction, stripping, or even crystallization units. Although many sets of binary data exist in the literature, the limiting factor in most multicomponent process designs is in the acquisition of valid binary data needed to determine parameters in the mathematical models. For most miscible organic systems, the existing data are in the form of classical VLE (vapor-liquid equilibria) measurements, which are intrinsically slow and difficult experiments. Further, the resulting data, even if accurate, do not contain the most useful information either for a basic understanding of solution behavior or for practical application.It is the purpose of the current study to demonstrate a different approach to gathering the data needed for studying the solution thermodynamics of binary liquid mixtures as well as for designing multicomponent separations. The advantages of using infinite dilution activity coefficients were first proposed over twenty years ago, and their use in design and scale-up has often been demonstrated. However, the actual measurement of such quantities by classical means-either from VLE or LLE data-is very imprecise, and until recently newer experimental methods have been limited in applicability. This work presents two complementary experimental methods for measuring limiting activity coefficients in a wide variety of organic systems. Since these methods are both easier to use and intrinsically more accurate than the classical techniques, the use of limiting activity coefficients presents useful, new experimental and analytical approaches.
CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCELimiting activity coefficient (7%) data are most effective both in the description of binary mixtures and in the scale-up to multi-component systems. The limiting activity coefficient characterizes the behavior of a single solute molecule completely surrounded by solvent. As such, it generally indicates a maximum nonideality and offers incisive information to the theorist, since the order-disorder effect disappears; it also offers economy of effort to the experimentalist, since this datum has wider applicability than a measurement at any other concentration.The major reason that yx methods have been little used lies in the dif...