Nickel(II) Oxide Solubility and Phase Stability in High Temperature Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

A platinum-lined, flowing autoclave facility was used to investigate the solubility behavior of nickel(II) oxide (NiO) in deoxygenated ammonium and sodium hydroxide solutions, between 21 and 315°C. Solubilities were found to vary between 0.4 and 400 nmol-kg⁻¹. The measured nickel ion solubilities were interpreted via a Ni(II) ion hydroxo- and ammino-complexing model, and thermodynamic functions for these equilibria were obtained from a least-squares analysis of the data. Two solid phase transformations were observed: at temperatures below 149°C, the activity of Ni(II) ions in aqueous solution was controlled by a hydrous Ni(II) oxide (theophrastite) solid phase rather than by anhydrous NiO (bunsenite); above 247°C, Ni(II) activities were controlled by cubic rather than by rhombohedral bunsenite.