Phase separation in multi-component mixtures: the four-component case

Calculation of ternary phase diagrams for several mixtures formed by two salts and a neutral component is presented here. The phase diagrams are obtained by inspection of the shape of the Gibbs free energy of mixing surface (G(mix)) as a function of the composition at constant temperature and pressure. The G(mix) surface is calculated by the mean spherical approximation (MSA). The model for the mixtures is represented by hard spheres, with the charged components interacting via a Coulomb potential. The results are interpreted in terms of a thermodynamic analysis of the contributions to the Gibbs free energy of mixing, i.e., the configurational energy, the volume and the entropy of mixing. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.