PHYSICOCHEMICAL, STRUCTURAL, AND TECHNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF LIQUID POTASSIUM-LEAD ALLOYS

Potassium alloys form a typical system with intensive interaction betw een the constituents, which results in close ordering in the liquid st ate and the formation of complex particles characterized by a definite geometric distribution of atoms. In the present survey the author ana lyzes the results of investigating the system's phase diagram, thermod ynamic properties of liquid alloys, and their structural, volumetric, electrical, and other properties. Using modeling concepts the relation between thermodynamic functions and concentration is analyzed. The ph ysicochemical principles of potassium production by electrolysis of ch loride-carbonate melts with a liquid lead cathode, followed by distill ation of potassium from the melt, are also discussed.