Study of the separation characteristics of the gallam-exchange systems

The values of the coefficient α of separation of the alkali metals in the LiGa-NaOH, LiGa-KOH, and KGa-NaOH gallam-exchange systems were determined. The dependences of α on the temperature and concentrations of the phases involved in the exchange were studied for the LiGa-NaOH and LiGa-KOH systems. The kinetic parameters for the exchange of lithium, sodium, and potassium were obtained. The rate constants for the exchange of these elements were described by the Arrhenius equation. The corresponding values of the activation energy and preexponential factor were calculated. The separation and kinetic characteristics obtained were compared to the analogous parameters of amalgam-exchange systems. A gallam-exchange method for separating alkali metals was suggested.