Ammonium Bisulfate/Water: A Pseudobinary System

Solid/liquid phase diagram of the ammonium sulfate/succinic acid/water system

We have studied the low-temperature phase diagram and water activities of the ammonium sulfate/succinic acid/water system using differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy of thin films. Using the results from our experiments, we have mapped the solid/liquid ternary phase diagram, determined the water activities based on the freezing point depression, and determined the ice/succinic acid phase boundary as well as the ternary eutectic composition and temperature. We also compared our results to the predictions of the extended AIM aerosol thermodynamics model (E-AIM) and found good agreement for the ice melting points in the ice primary phase field of this system; however, differences were found with respect to succinic acid solubility temperatures. We also compared the results of this study with those of previous studies that we have published on ammonium sulfate/dicarboxylic acid/water systems.

Single freezing and triple melting of micrometre-scaled (NH4)2SO4/H2O droplets

Atmospheric aerosol droplets containing NH(4)(+) and SO(4)(2-) ions are precursors of cirrus ice clouds. However, the low-temperature phase transformation of such droplets is not understood yet. Here we show for the first time that micrometre-scaled (NH(4))(2)SO(4)/H(2)O droplets produce one freezing event but three melting events which are the melting of (i) pure ice, (ii) eutectic ice/(NH(4))(2)SO(4), and (iii) eutectic ice/(NH(4))(3)H(SO(4))(2). We also find that the melting of ice/(NH(4))(3)H(SO(4))(2) consists of two eutectic melting events, presumably ice/letovicite-II and ice/letovicite-III.

Experimental Determination of the H2SO4/(NH4)2SO4/H2O Phase Diagram

We have experimentally investigated the water and sulfuric acid-rich regions of the H2SO4/(NH4)2SO4/H2O ternary liquid/solid phase diagram using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy of thin films. We present the liquid/solid ternary phase diagram for temperatures below 373 K and H2SO4 concentrations below 60 wt %. We have determined two ternary eutectics and two tributary reaction points for this system in the regions studied. It is also seen that sulfuric acid tetrahydrate (SAT) forms as a metastable solid over a large concentration range. Two true binary systems have been identified: ice/letovicite and SAT/ammonium bisulfate. Finally, we have compared our results to the predictions of the aerosol inorganics model and have found significant differences both in the final melting points and in the location of some of the phase boundaries including a significant discrepancy in the invariant points predicted versus those observed.