Fused-salt solution

Article By:

Kipouros, Georges J. Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Mamantov, Gleb Chemistry Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Last reviewed:January 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.276700

A nonaqueous solvent system particularly useful in the production of reactive metals and in the study of the coordination chemistry of the elements. Fused salts are a large class of liquids that are composed largely of ions. Many simple inorganic salts melt at high temperatures (greater than 600°C or 1100°F), forming liquids which have high specific ionic conductivities (1–6 ohm⁻¹ cm⁻¹). There are, however, a number of exceptions; for example, the electrical conductivity of AlCl₃ decreases sharply upon melting due to the formation of the molecular liquid Al₂Cl₆. Mixing molecular fused salts with truly ionic salts results in the formation of potential electrolytes. Each molten salt system constitutes its own solvent system, and needs the establishment of its own electromotive force series and requires, in some cases, the development and use of special reference electrodes. See also: Electrolytic conductance; Fused-salt phase equilibria; High-temperature chemistry; Solvent

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