Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation in Aqueous Alkali Halide Solutions

The D/H ratios of hydrogen gas in equilibrium with aqueous alkali halide solutions were determined at 25 °C, using a hydrophobic platinum catalyst. The hydrogen isotope effect between the solution and pure water changes linearly with the molality of the solution at low concentrations, but deviates from this linearity at higher concentration for all alkali halide solutions. The magnitude of the hydrogen isotope effect is in the order; Kl > Nal > KBr > CsCl ^ NaBr > KCl > NaCl > LiCl, at concentrations up to a molality of 4 m. The sign and trend of the hydrogen isotope effect is different from that of oxygen. In aqueous alkali halide solutions, the hydrogen isotope effect is influenced by both the cation and the anion species, while the oxygen isotope effect is mainly caused by the cation species. This suggests that the mechanism of hydrogen isotope fractionation between the water molecules in the hydration spheres and the free water molecules differs from the mechanism of the oxygen isotope fractionation. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope effects for alkali halides, except LiCl and NaCl, may be influenced by changes in energy of the hydrogen bonding in free water molecules.