Mean activity coefficients of sodium chloride in water-ethanol mixtures were determined from potentiometric data, at 25 °C, using the classic Pitzer model, based on molalities, and the Pitzer-Simonson model, based on molar fractions. The molalities of NaCl-varied from 0.1 mol kg" 1 to near saturation, in mixed solvents with compositions of 5, 10, 15 and 20% (w/w) ethanol. The results obtained from the two models were compared.
INTRODUCTIONSince the beginning of the 20 th century, the study of the mean activity coefficients of electrolytes in water-alcohol mixtures has received considerable attention in the literature [l, 2].Most of the work deals with potentiometric data, using methanol and ethanol as second solvents.Nevertheless, for the ternary system sodium chloride+water+ethanol, the reports found in the literature comprise only a few studies [3,4,5 ].In this work, mean activity coefficients were determined from potentiometric data for NaCl in aqueous-alcoholic solvents, with 5, 10, 15 and 20% (w/w) of ethanol. The sodium chloride concentrations varied from 0.1 mol kg" 1 to near saturation and data were collected at 25 °C. For each ethanol content in the solvent, a function describing the variation of the mean activity coefficient with salt molality was obtained using the Pitzer model [6]. A more complex model, based on molar fractions and devised by Pitzer and Simonson [7], was also applied, and both results were compared for this ternary system.
EXPERIMENTALThe materials used were analytical grade sodium chloride, Merck, 99.5 %+, dried in an oven for 12 hours, at 110 °C, and ethanol, Pronalab R, 99.8 %+. All solutions were prepared by weight,