Gibbs Energy Modeling of Digenite and Adjacent Solid-State Phases

All sulfur potential and phase diagram data available in the literature for solid-state equilibria related to digenite have been assessed. Thorough thermodynamic analysis at 1 bar total pressure has been performed. A three-sublattice approach has been developed to model the Gibbs energy of digenite as a function of composition and temperature using the compound energy formalism. The Gibbs energies of the adjacent solid-state phases covelitte and high-temperature chalcocite are also modeled treating both sulfides as stoichiometric compounds. The novel model for digenite offers new interpretation of experimental data, may contribute from a thermodynamic point of view to the elucidation of the role of copper species within the crystal structure and allows extrapolation to composition regimes richer in copper than stoichiometric digenite Cu₂S. Preliminary predictions into the ternary Cu-Fe-S system at 1273 K (1000 °C) using the Gibbs energy model of digenite for calculating its iron solubility are promising.