EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE AQUEOUS CHEMISTRY AT OAK-RIDGE-NATIONAL-LABORATORY

Experimental research is conducted and models are developed in a longs tanding program at Oak Ridge on the aqueous chemistry at high temperat ures of broad classes of electrolytes emphasizing thermodynamics of re action equilibria and excess thermodynamic properties of electrolytes. Our experimental methods, their capabilities, data analysis, and resu lts will be summarized. The relevance of the work to problems in power plants, natural and industrial processes as well as basic solution ch emistry and geochemistry are given. Progress in potentiometry, electri cal conductivity, flow calorimetry, and isopiestic research will be de scribed. The future in this field demands greater precision in measure ments and significant gains in our understanding of the solvation phen omena especially in the vicinity and beyond the critical point for wat er. The communities who do research on scattering, spectroscopy, and c omputer simulations can help guide these efforts through studies at ex treme conditions.